News

Five Ethiopian Agri-Tech Startups Share $40K Prize in AYuTE Challenge

Five Ethiopian startups win $40,000 through Heifer International’s 2025 AYuTE Challenge, backing local agri-tech innovation with funding, mentorship, and exposure. Nanex took the top prize.

Ethiopia Mandates Government Offices to Accept Digital Payments from All Service Providers

Despite reforms allowing fintechs and non-bank entities to enter the market, unfair trade practices and government favoritism have been prevalent in Ethiopia’s digital financial services sector.

Gadaa Bank Becomes Second Bank to List on Ethiopia’s Securities Exchange

Gadaa Bank has become the second bank to list on Ethiopia’s Securities Exchange, registering over 1.23M shares. It joins Wegagen as the second bank to list shares on ESX.

EU Backs €8 Million Sub-Saharan Arts Program Eyeing Cultural Pact, Creative Ties

Connect & Create, an €8 million EU backed cultural initiative will offer grants, mobility funding, and institutional support to artists and cultural professionals across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Enat Bank Disburses 1.4 billion Birr in Collateral-Free Loans to Women Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia

Enat Bank disbursed over 1.4 billion Birr in collateral-free loans to nearly 22,000 women through its Malefiya digital credit platform powered by AI-based credit scoring from Kifiya’s Qena system.

BirrLink Receives Payment Gateway License from National Bank of Ethiopia

After over a decade in digitization, reengineering and BPO services, Faris Technologies is leveraging its institutional experience to launch a new payment gateway operator under subsidiary BirrLink.

Ethiopian Developer Launches a Centralized Portal for Ad Placements on Telegram

Ethiopian developer launched Kelemat Ads, a portal which connects businesses with Telegram channels through a searchable portal, offering ad booking, automation, and payment via Telebirr.

Beemi Raises $1M to Scale Ethiopia’s First Gamified Livestreaming Platform Across Africa

Beemi, Ethiopia’s first gamified livestreaming platform which transforms streams into interactive experiences and real-time storefronts, raised $1M in a seed funding round as it scales across Africa.