What does it take to get a payment switching licence in Ethiopia?
To hold a payment switching licence in Ethiopia, you need the Payment System Operator (Switch Operator) licence from National Bank of Ethiopia. Published minimum capital: ETB 300 million (three hundred million Birr) for a national switch operator; ETB 40 million (forty million Birr) for a switch operator (the sum of the relevant tiers if the applicant operates two or more systems). 2 entities currently hold a payment switching licence in Ethiopia. Full requirements — minimum capital, local presence, timeline, local ownership, fees and ongoing obligations — are set out below in each instrument's own words, with source and date; amounts are in the statute's own currency.
“Payment switching” here is the normalized activity: Own or operate payment switching, routing, clearing or interoperability infrastructure between payment service providers, issuers, acquirers and schemes.
Activity id (as used by the Afriset MCP): fintech:SWITCHING
Payment System Operator (Switch Operator)
National Bank of Ethiopia| Requirement | As published | Source | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum capital | ETB 300 million (three hundred million Birr) for a national switch operator; ETB 40 million (forty million Birr) for a switch operator (the sum of the relevant tiers if the applicant operates two or more systems). Verbatim“An applicant intending to be licensed as payment system operator shall have a paid up capital of not less than: a) ETB 300 million (three hundred million Birr) if it is the national switch operator; b) ETB 40 million (forty million Birr) if it is a switch operator; … f) the sum of a paid up capital stated hereinabove under each operator if an applicant intends to be licensed to operate two or more of the payment systems.” | Licensing and Authorization of Payment System Operators Directive No. ONPS/02/2020 (operative PSO base) | 2020 |
| Local presence / incorporation | Must be established as a company, with a certificate of registration for the trade name and articles and memorandum of association prepared in both Amharic and English. Verbatim“be established as a company … submit articles and memorandum of association prepared both in Amharic and English.” | Licensing and Authorization of Payment System Operators Directive No. ONPS/02/2020 (operative PSO base) | 2020 |
| Timeline | Not officially published: No fixed number of days within which the National Bank must grant or refuse a payment-system-operator application is published in this directive. | Licensing and Authorization of Payment System Operators Directive No. ONPS/02/2020 (operative PSO base) | 2020 |
| Local ownership | The national switch operator may only be owned by financial institutions and the National Bank, and any institutional shareholder other than the National Bank is limited to 5%; for other switch operators, ownership by any one person is limited to 40%. Verbatim“have ownership by a person limited to 40%, if it is other than national switch operator … only be owned by financial institutions and the National Bank, if it is the national switch operator … have ownership by an institutional shareholder other than National Bank limited to 5% (five percent), if it is the national switch operator.” | Licensing and Authorization of Payment System Operators Directive No. ONPS/02/2020 (operative PSO base) | 2020 |
| Fees | ETB 3,000 (three thousand Birr) non-refundable application processing fee. Verbatim“An applicant shall pay a non-refundable application processing fee of ETB 3,000 (three thousand Birr) and present proof of payment together with the applications.” | Licensing and Authorization of Payment System Operators Directive No. ONPS/02/2020 (operative PSO base) | 2020 |
| Ongoing obligations | Not officially published: Operate under system rules approved by the National Bank; the ownership and shareholding conditions above are continuing. No single quantitative ongoing-obligation figure is published. | Licensing and Authorization of Payment System Operators Directive No. ONPS/02/2020 (operative PSO base) | 2020 |
Requirements as published in the cited instruments — not legal or compliance advice. Capital and fees are shown in the currency the statute itself uses. Where a value is located but not yet verified, we show that it exists but don't publish the figure. Verify directly with the regulator.
Maintained: this official source is re-checked on a weekly schedule — last checked 2026-08-04 · unchanged since the previous check.
Who already holds this licence?
2 entities are on the National Bank of Ethiopia register under the Payment System Operator (Switch Operator) category — view the register .
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