CBE Dominates Digital Transactions, Deposit Mobilization: Bank Report | The Reporter Ethiopia
The dominance of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) extends into the country’s evolving digital finance landscape, with the state-owned bank controlling 70 percent of market share, according to a report presented by bank President Abe Sano this week.
From The Reporter Magazine
CBE facilitated 3.48 billion digital transactions with a value of more than 22 trillion Birr over the past fiscal year, which ended on June 30.
“Our digital transaction performance now constitutes 70 percent of total digital transactions at the national level. This indicates CBE has become the pillar of Ethiopia’s digital finance system,” said Abe.
CBE mobilized 707.4 billion Birr in deposits over the period, raising its outstanding deposits to 2.4 trillion Birr.
From The Reporter Magazine
“This is the first time a single bank mobilized this much deposits in a single year. CBE’s total deposits have now increased four fold in just six years,” said the President.
The bank provided 648 billion Birr in credit over the reporting period, of which nearly 91 percent went to the private sector. This represents a sharp departure from previous trends—in 2019/20 only 10 percent of total disbursed credit went to the private sector, according to the president.
CBE’s total outstanding credit stands at 1.64 trillion Birr, while its clients repaid 546 billion Birr during the just-ended fiscal year.
Abe disclosed the bank’s non-performing loan ratio stands at 1.4 percent. CBE’s market share now registers at 50.1 percent in terms of deposits, 48.3 percent in terms of credit, 50.1 percent in terms of assets, and 45.4 percent in terms of capital.
“We’re doing well in loan collection,” said Abe, attributing the bank’s achievements to economic growth and commitment from partners and stakeholders.
His report, however, did not disclose revenue or profit. Oddly, CBE also has not published an annual report for 2024/25.
In its Financial Stability Report covering the 2024/5 fiscal year and released in March 2026, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) underlined CBE’s continued dominance and emphasized the prospect of mergers and acquisitions for the other 30 commercial banks operating in the country.
NBE reported that 25 of the country’s 31 banks operate with a combined market share of less than 22 percent.
Meanwhile, Awash Bank, the largest of the private commercial banks, also posted a glimpse of its performance during the just ended fiscal year.
Awash’s total outstanding deposits stood at 467.8 billion Birr, which is less than what CBE managed to mobilize over the past 12 months alone. The bank’s total assets have climbed to 622 billion Birr, while its paid-up capital has risen to 38.5 billion Birr.
Awash Bank posted 40.7 billion Birr in revenue for 2025/26.
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