Ethiopia - Enhancing national switch of Ethiopia

This project concerns Enhancing the National Switch of Ethiopia EthSwitch. EthSwitch is a digital payment interoperability platform initiated by the National Bank of Ethiopia. EthSwitch (active since 2016) currently caters to card interoperability covering POS and ATMs exclusively, in spite of a massive push for multiple channel interoperability to include internet and mobile banking. EthSwitch hence aims to create an interoperable digital payment platform through shared infrastructure. By modernizing the payments infrastructure in Ethiopia, this project will be a core enabler of financial inclusion, opening multiple opportunities to low-income populations including women. The switch will seamlessly drive the digital social payments that the Government is reinforcing in the wake of the COVID19 crisis as well as bulk payments, pensions, and the building and implementation of critical use cases that will improve efficiency and foster faster inclusion and adoption.