Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Disburses Over 264 Billion Birr in Loans Over Eight Months

Addis Ababa, April 2, 2025 (ENA) -- The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has disbursed over 264 billion Birr in loans to its customers over the past eight months, according to Abe Sano, the bank's president.

Presenting the bank's eight-month performance report to the House of Peoples' Representatives' Standing Committee on Public Enterprises , President Abe Sano highlighted the institution's efforts to expand loan accessibility and enhance financial inclusion.

He stated that the bank is introducing new loan products to facilitate this expansion. Specifically, in the last eight months, the CBE provided 264.65 billion Birr in loans, with 88.2 percent of that amount directed towards the private sector. The total loan disbursement has reached 1.39 trillion Birr.

To further broaden loan accessibility, the bank has partnered with Ethiotelecom to provide digital loan options.

The president reported that 3.9 billion Birr in loans were disbursed through digital platforms in the past eight months, benefiting 717,000 customers as of February 28, 2025.

In support of entrepreneurial initiatives, the bank has also made preparations to provide loan services to promising startups.

Furthermore, preparations to make digital loan services more accessible to the public have been completed, and the system is currently in the testing phase, according to information obtained from the bank.