By 
The 29th Connected Banking Summit – Ethiopia 2026, organised by the International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA), concluded successfully on 12 August 2026 at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, bringing together senior leaders from banking, financial services, regulation, technology, cybersecurity, and digital finance to chart the next phase of Ethiopia’s financial-sector transformation.
The high-level gathering provided a platform for industry leaders and decision-makers to exchange insights and address the opportunities and challenges shaping Ethiopia’s rapidly evolving financial ecosystem. With a strong focus on payments modernisation, digital banking, cybersecurity, financial inclusion, digital identity, E-KYC, cloud transformation, digital credit, and banking innovation, the summit reflected the critical priorities driving the country’s digital financial transformation.
Distinguished Leadership Sets the Strategic Agenda
The summit opened with an inaugural keynote titled “Ethiopia’s Financial Sector Vision – Stability, Reform & Innovation,” delivered by Seyoum Mengesha Tachie, CEO of Digital Economy Development at the Ministry of Innovation & Technology. His address set the strategic context for Ethiopia’s financial-sector transformation, emphasising the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for digital finance.
The summit featured an impressive lineup of senior voices from across Ethiopia’s regulatory, banking, and digital-finance ecosystem, including:
- Solomon Damtew Metaferia – Director, Banking and Payment Systems Directorate, National Bank of Ethiopia
- Yoseph Kibret – Chairman, Ethiopian Digital Financial Service Providers Association (EDFSPA)
- Seyoum Damtew – Vice President, Information System Security, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
- Fikru Tsegaye Wordofa – Member, Board of Directors, Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX)
- Tadesse Hatiya – Chief Executive Officer / President, Sidama Bank S.C.
- Daniel Parreira – SVP Sales – Africa, Thunes
- Djamil Jaddoo – Territory Manager – IOI, SADC & East African Countries, MBCOM Technologies (Broadcom Representative)
Their collective participation underscored the growing convergence between financial institutions, regulators, technology providers, and digital innovators in shaping Ethiopia’s financial future.
Key Industry Conversations on Payments, Security, and Inclusion
The summit featured a comprehensive programme of executive panels, strategic discussions, and industry presentations focused on the most pressing priorities for Ethiopia’s financial sector.
Payments Modernisation & Interoperability
The session “Payments Modernization & Interoperability in Ethiopia,” led by Solomon Damtew of the National Bank of Ethiopia, explored the evolution of payment systems and the critical importance of interoperability in strengthening the country’s digital financial ecosystem. Daniel Parreira, SVP Sales Africa at Thunes, complemented the conversation with insights on cross-border money movement across Africa, highlighting the continent’s growing interconnectedness.
Building a Safe, Inclusive Banking Ecosystem
The Power Panel – “Building a Safe, Inclusive & Digitally Enabled Banking Ecosystem” brought together leaders from National ID Ethiopia, Cooperative Bank of Oromia, Awash Bank, Hijra Bank, and Dashen Bank. The panel discussed the priorities required to build a secure, accessible, and digitally enabled banking ecosystem that serves all Ethiopians.
AI-Powered Zero Trust and Proactive Security
The programme also featured a session on “AI Powered Zero Trust and Proactive Security,” with Seyoum Damtew of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia highlighting the growing importance of proactive cybersecurity as digital banking adoption accelerates. The discussion reinforced the need for financial institutions to stay ahead of emerging threats in an increasingly digital landscape.
Reimagining Banking Through Digital Transformation
The session “Beyond Digital Transformation: Reimagining Banking in Emerging Markets,” led by Assefa Amere, Chief Information Technology Officer at Addis Bank S.C., explored the changing priorities of technology-led banking transformation. The discussion examined how Ethiopian banks can move beyond simple digitisation to fundamentally reimagine their business models and customer experiences.
The programme further examined Banking Core Modernization & Cloud Transformation, alongside discussions around digital identity, E-KYC, financial inclusion, digital banking, SME financing, and digital credit expansion. These conversations highlighted the role of digital technologies in widening financial access, improving customer experiences, and creating new opportunities for customers and businesses across Ethiopia.
Cybersecurity and Digital Trust Take Centre Stage
Cybersecurity and digital trust emerged as critical priorities throughout the summit. The Strategic Leadership Panel – “Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Digital Trust” brought together senior cybersecurity leaders from Cooperative Bank of Oromia, Hibret Bank, Abay Bank, and MBCOM Technologies. The panel focused on security, resilience, and trust across the digital financial ecosystem, reinforcing the importance of building secure and resilient financial systems capable of supporting Ethiopia’s continued digital transformation.
Executive Leadership Looks to the Future
The Executive Leadership Panel – “The Future of Banking Transformation in Ethiopia” brought together senior representatives from Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX), Berhan Bank, Gadaa Bank, Awash Bank, and Dashen Bank. The discussion reflected the sector’s increasing focus on technology modernisation, digital customer engagement, operational transformation, and the strategic role of innovation in building future-ready financial institutions.
Sponsors and Strategic Partners Drive Innovation
The 29th Connected Banking Summit was supported by organisations representing key areas of the financial technology and digital transformation ecosystem.
Gold Sponsors
- THUNES – Connected payments and cross-border infrastructure
- ManageEngine – Enterprise IT management and cybersecurity
- MBCOM Technologies – Enterprise technology and digital transformation
Supporting Partners
- Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX) – Capital-market development
- Faydaverse – Innovation and digital financial services
Banking Innovators
- YAYA Wallet – Digital wallet and financial-services innovation
- CHAPA – Digital payments and payment infrastructure
- KACHA – Digital financial services and wallet innovation
- ARIFPAY – Digital payments and fintech infrastructure
The collective participation of these organisations reflected the breadth of Ethiopia’s evolving financial ecosystem, spanning connected payments, enterprise technology, cybersecurity, capital markets, digital wallets, payment infrastructure, and emerging financial services.
Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 Honour Industry Leaders
The evening concluded with the prestigious Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026, recognising outstanding institutions and leaders for achievements across digital banking, cybersecurity, financial inclusion, transformation, payments, and financial-services excellence.
Institutional Award Winners
- Excellence in Digital Banking – Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
- Excellence in Cyber Security – Hibret Bank
- Excellence in Cashless Initiatives – Dashen Bank
- Excellence in Financial Inclusion – Hijra Bank
- Excellence in Digital Transformation – Nib International Bank
- Excellence in SME Banking – Cooperative Bank of Oromia
- Excellence in Wealth Management – Zemen Bank
- Excellence in Trade Finance – Bank of Abyssinia
- Excellence in Retail Banking – Awash Bank
Individual Leadership Award Winners
- CISO of the Year – Seyoum Damtew, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
- CEO of the Year – Banking – Abie Sano, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
- CIO of the Year – Amare Herpie, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
- Women in Finance Leadership Award – Brutawit Dawit Abdi, Wegagen Capital Investment Bank
- Digital Banking Personality of the Year – Hussen Amde, Wegagen Bank
- Banking Leader of the Year – Deribie Asfaw, Cooperative Bank of Oromia
The awards continue to reflect ICSA’s commitment to recognising the institutions and individuals driving innovation, resilience, inclusion, and excellence across Africa’s financial ecosystem.
A Connected Future for Ethiopian Banking
The 29th Connected Banking Summit & Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 reinforced the importance of collaboration between financial institutions, regulators, technology leaders, and innovators in accelerating Ethiopia’s digital financial transformation.
The summit provided a platform for senior stakeholders to exchange insights, recognise excellence, and explore the partnerships and technologies that will shape the future of banking and financial services in Ethiopia.
As Ethiopia continues to advance its digital financial ecosystem, the conversations and connections established at the summit represent an important contribution to building a more secure, inclusive, innovative, and digitally enabled future for banking and financial services.
