← Ethiopian Regulatory Landscape for International Operations

Foreign bank entry

Module 03 / 5 · 65 min

Understand how foreign banks may enter Ethiopia under Proclamation No. 1360/2025 and SBB/94/2025, and what their arrival means for a domestic bank's international business.

In this module you will learn to

Compare the entry routes: subsidiary, branch, representative office and share acquisition
Apply the capital, eligibility, board and ownership rules to a real applicant
Lay out the licensing process, timelines and fees
Analyse the strategic impact of foreign entry and the partnership options for a domestic bank

Built on

Erudite Africa training module: Ethiopian Context, topic 1.c Ethiopian Regulatory Landscape for International Operations, Level 2 Intermediate (October 2026)
NBE directives as listed in the lessons: FXD/01/2024, FXD/04/2026, FXD/05/2026, FVD/01/2026, SBB/94/2025, SBB/96/2025, SBB/99/2026, SBB/87/2024, SBB/89/2024, SBB/91/2024, NBE/INT/13/2026, and the MPC No. 7 release (13 July 2026)
NBE Proclamation No. 1359/2025 and Banking Business Proclamation No. 1360/2025
Investment Proclamation No. 1180/2020, Council of Ministers Regulation No. 474/2020 and Ethiopian Investment Board Directive No. 1082/2025
FATF Recommendations and the Wolfsberg Group Correspondent Banking Due Diligence Questionnaire (international standards)
AML/CFT Proclamation (reported as No. 780/2013) and Customs Proclamation (reported as No. 859/2014, as amended), to be confirmed against the official texts

Examples and companies are fictional. Bank practices are shown as typical Ethiopian practice, not as any one bank's policy. Always apply your own institution's approved policy and the current NBE directives.