Grab your coffee ☕ and kickstart your week with the hottest headlines from the worlds of finance, tech, and beyond! From record-breaking coffee exports to the green light for foreign banks, fintech upgrades at the pump, and capital market milestones, it’s a whirlwind of progress you won’t want to miss. Let’s get into the headlines redefining Ethiopia’s financial future.
☕ ECONOMY
Wake up and smell the $1.87 billion! Ethiopia just brewed its best export numbers yet, with coffee earnings soaring 87% compared to last year. Over 354,000 metric tonnes of premium Arabica beans have made their way to caffeine lovers in Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. With two months left in the fiscal year, the $2 billion mark is well within reach. Ethiopia: where the beans are strong and so is the balance sheet. Source: Birrmetrics
💼 CAPITAL MARKET
Wegagen Leads the Way
Wegagen Capital just became the first-ever trading member of the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX)—and yes, they’ve also got the bragging rights for listing the first parent company. The capital market is finally making noise. Read here
Talent Upgrading on the Menu
The Ethiopian Securities Exchange and IFC launched a capacity-building project to groom Ethiopia’s next-gen finance pros. Training covers FX, treasury, interbank ops, and more. Expect a dealers’ association soon. New market, meet new muscle. Read here
💸 FINANCE REFORMS
Foreign Banks Incoming
NBE Governor Mamo Mihretu confirmed that foreign banks will officially enter Ethiopia by end-2025. Policy groundwork is done, and outdated restrictions like forced bond purchases and the 18% credit cap are on the chopping block. Brace for competition, digital integration, and a serious upgrade to Ethiopia’s banking game. Source: The Reporter Ethiopia
$700M Sector Reform? Approved.
The World Bank–backed Financial Sector Strengthening Project is here, with $250M already disbursed to CBE. The goal? Build a more resilient, inclusive financial system—especially for agriculture, manufacturing, and underserved groups. Because financial inclusion shouldn’t be a buzzword. Source: EBR
EIH Buys In
Ethiopian Investment Holdings just dropped 7 billion birr on Treasury Bills, becoming one of the first non-banks to do so. This milestone move supports domestic resource mobilization and proves that even state-owned giants can play nice in a liberalized market. Read here
💵 FOREX
Ethio Forex Grabs 40% Share
Since October, Ethio Forex has processed over $6 million and 800 million birr across four branches. With 17,500+ customers and 3,500 daily site visits, it’s proving that compliance, transparency, and competitive service can still win—even in a market used to back-alley rates. Source: Birrmetrics
INVESTMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE
$1.6B in New Investments
The “Invest in Ethiopia 2025” forum pulled in $1.6 billion in pledges, including a $600M coal mining deal with Sequa and $500M from Huawei for mineral processing. Annual forum? You bet. Ethiopia is putting itself on the global investor map. Read here
Skyscraper Comeback
EEP is dusting off plans for a 62-storey HQ near Mexico Square—set to be the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa at 327.5 meters. With bids reopened and Dar Al-Handasah supervising, this $445M mega-project is ready for takeoff. Towering ambition, literally. Source: Birrmetrics
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INSURETECH
Jamii.one Takes the Prize
Jamii.one won $40K at UNDP Ethiopia’s Innovative Insurance Challenge Fund for digitizing idir groups and delivering microinsurance to nearly 160,000 users. HuluCares and eQUB also grabbed recognition. Who said traditional systems can’t go digital? Source: Shega Media
⛽ FINTECH
Dashen Bank Rolls Out Digital Fuel Payments
Paying for gas in Ethiopia just went 21st-century. Dashen’s Super App now supports QR code-based fuel payments at select stations. It’s digital, it’s clean, and it’s goodbye to carrying crumpled birr notes to the pump. Read here
✈️ AVIATION
Ethiopian Airlines just inked deals with GE Aerospace to power 11 new Boeing 787s with GEnx engines—and reaffirmed a GE9X order for eight Boeing 777-9s (plus six optional). Fleet expansion? Check. Global connectivity? Still top tier. GE and Ethiopian have been co-pilots since 2003.
📅 Events
ETEX 2025: Ethiopia’s Tech Future on Full Display
Held May 16–18 in Addis, ETEX 2025 pulled over 10,000 attendees and spotlighted AI, cybersecurity, fintech, and smart cities. Highlights included the “5 Million Coders Initiative” and regional tech collaboration—with the UAE as co-host. PM Abiy called it a leap forward in the “Digital Ethiopia 2025” journey.
Ethiopia Finance Forum 2025: Reform at Center Stage
Over 150 institutions convened for the Finance Forum, which featured five major investment deals and panel discussions on ICT, services, and public-private partnerships. Ethiopia’s zero-borrowing milestone also took center stage.
Next Week, we will be back with Monday Breakfast Stories!
📩 Got insights? Scoop? Feedback?
Send it our way — we’re all ears, except during coffee breaks.
Stay curious, stay caffeinated ☕️
And as always, crush your week ahead! 🚀
— Written by the StockMarket.et Newsroom
Byeee 🙂
