Can Ethiopia's DFS Boom Finally Bring Coverage to the Masses?

Without foreign competition or regulatory pressure to innovate, and with a captive motor insurance market, Ethiopia's insurers had little incentive to expand beyond familiar lines of business.

What the Next Five Years Could Hold for Digital Finance in Ethiopia

An analysis of Ethiopia's National Digital Payments Strategy (2026-2030) and what it reveals about the ecosystem's next chapter.

Community, Culture, and Digital Finance: Travelling Ethiopia with the AKOFADA Behavioral Change Campaign

A firsthand journey through Ethiopia exploring how community radio, culture, and storytelling can drive behavioral change and accelerate the adoption of digital finance in rural markets.

Designed for Whom? The Mirage of Women-Centric Digital Finance in Ethiopia

Closing Ethiopia’s gender gap in digital finance won’t happen with slogans. “Women-centric” DFS too often means minor tweaks to products never designed around women’s real lives.

Ethiopia’s Next Financial Inclusion Strategy Must Be Geo-Enabled, Data-Driven, and People-Centered

Financial access has expanded, yet usage, equity, and reliability still lag. A map-first strategy and a National Financial Data Commons may help Ethiopia deliver real financial inclusion.

How Ethiopia Can Weaponize AI Against Financial Exclusion

Ethiopia does not necessarily have an insurmountable shortage in data sets, but rather faces challenges around data quality. AI can be a game changer in Ethiopia's DFS story.

Rethinking Siloed Phone Loan Schemes as a Path to Financial Inclusion in Ethiopia

What does financial inclusion really mean, and how can it be achieved in a way that genuinely benefits rural communities in Ethiopia?

Findex 2025 and Ethiopia’s Digital Financial Leap: Momentum Without Maturity?

Global Findex 2025 data shows financial account ownership rose from 46% in 2021 to just 49% in 2024 despite over 200 million digital accounts. For all the gains, inclusion remains stubbornly uneven.