YaYa Wallet’s New Remittance Service Connects Ethiopian Families Across Borders with Ease

YaYa Wallet has introduced an International Inward Remittance Service, further growing its digital payments portfolio. The Remittance service officially went live on April 12, 2025, following a successful pilot phase, and coincides with the release of YaYa Wallet 2.0, the enhanced mobile application now available to all customers.

This milestone is backed by a robust ecosystem that seamlessly connects YaYa Wallet to all Ethiopian banks and microfinance institutions via Ethswitch, enables global remittance flows through Mastercard and Zemen Bank, and broadens merchant acceptance through strategic partnerships with leading Payment Service Operators (PSOs) such as Arifpay.

"This is a major milestone for us and a game-changing moment for the Ethiopian market," said Yohannes Belehu, CEO of YaYa Wallet. "The International Inward Remittance Service, along with the refreshed YaYa Wallet 2.0, is a direct reflection of our mission: to provide accessible, reliable, secure, and user-friendly financial solutions that cater to the diverse needs of Ethiopians. We are thrilled to offer a service that makes financial solutions like sending money, paying bills, and topping up airtime smooth and intuitive for everyone."

After being granted a Payment Instrument Issuer license by the National Bank of Ethiopia, YaYa Wallet has focused on financial innovation. The new International Inward Remittance Service is a pivotal addition to the platform's suite of solutions, which includes P2P payments, transfers to other banks, receiving money from various banks, airtime top-up, bill payment, bulk payment solutions, school payment, scheduled and recurring payment options, merchant payments, and "ask payment" features. All these services are built on a robust and secure infrastructure, ensuring accessibility through YaYa Wallet’s user-friendly mobile app (available on iOS and Android), as well as web and USSD (*957#) options.

Furthermore, in celebration of the upcoming Ethiopian holidays, a special bonus of 6% is offered on every foreign currency transfer made through YaYa Wallet until October 10, 2025.

For international remittances, YaYa Wallet's direct integration with Mastercard elevates the service to a global standard. This partnership ensures faster, more secure, and cost-effective cross-border transactions, providing a reliable channel for the Ethiopian diaspora to support their families and contribute to the national economy. One of the standout aspects of this service is the ease with which users can load their wallets using debit or credit cards from anywhere in the world, facilitating a smooth initiation of transactions.

Further enhancing user convenience, YaYa Wallet introduces its innovative 'request remittance' feature that simplifies the process of transferring funds. This new capability allows users to generate a simple link with the desired amount and share it with anyone, even those who do not have a YaYa Wallet account, making it easier for remitters to send the requested amount quickly.

Another key feature of YaYa Wallet remittance is its ability to send funds to all financial institutions, including banks and microfinances, accommodating recipients’ preferences for different banking institutions. This feature is particularly advantageous for families with members living in different regions of Ethiopia, ensuring that everyone can receive their funds seamlessly. 

Beyond personal and business finance, YaYa Wallet is also active in public finance. Through its strategic integration with the Amhara Revenue Bureau, the platform now provides a modern, convenient, and transparent channel for regional tax collection. This service is part of YaYa Wallet’s bill payment suite, which enables billers to collect payments from any integrated bank and have the funds settled directly into their preferred account.

Since October 2024, when the very first tax payment was processed through YaYa Wallet, thousands of taxpayers have benefited from a faster, more reliable, and hassle-free way to settle their dues.

To power this initiative, YaYa Wallet partnered with seven leading banks (Abay Bank, Amhara Bank, Bank of Abyssinia, Bunna Bank, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Dashen Bank, and Tsedey Bank), creating an ecosystem designed specifically to handle tax payments with ease and accountability. Beyond convenience, this solution is driving broader economic impact, strengthening transparency, and improving revenue collection efficiency. In turn, it is fueling local economic development in a measurable way: within just the past month, the system has already processed transaction value exceeding 1.3 billion Birr.

As the country moves toward a more digital financial system, YaYa Wallet is at the heart of this transformative shift.

“YaYa Wallet is built for speed, security, and convenience. Whether you’re abroad sending money home or a business managing payments, our solutions are designed to simplify your financial life,” added Yohannes.

Individuals can install the YaYa Wallet App via: 

https://yayawallet.com/install 

Businesses can register directly on the YaYa Wallet Business Dashboard: 

https://dashboard.yayawallet.com/register

To send money: 

https://yayawallet.com/public/en/transfer/