Notes on compliance, done properly.
Plain-language explainers, practical guidance, and field notes for Ethiopian capital-market, banking and public institutions.
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ESAAMLG's 2026 Kigali Meetings Just Reset the AML Bar From 'Do You Have a Policy' to 'Does It Work'
ESAAMLG's 2026 Kigali meetings are themed 'From Technical Compliance to Demonstrable Outcome.' What that shift means for Ethiopian AML/CFT programmes and the evidence file worth building now.
Proclamation No. 1426/2026 Just Put a 48-Hour Clock on Every Ethiopian Bank's Cyber Incidents
Ethiopia's Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Proclamation No. 1426/2026 gives banks 48 hours to report a cyber incident or face a fine. What compliance teams need to build before the one-year grace period ends.
Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda Just Started Writing the Region's Payment Rulebook. Ethiopia Isn't in the Room
The EAC just moved its Cross-Border Payment System Masterplan into implementation. Ethiopia isn't a member, but the governance gap it's building around is one Ethiopian risk teams can benchmark against now.
Meba Just Registered Securities With ECMA. Here's What Changes for Every MFI Board
Meba became the first Ethiopian microfinance institution to register shares with ECMA. Registration brings insider-information duties MFI boards have never had to formalise before.
Nine Questions Every Ethiopian Payment Provider's Risk Team Should Be Able to Answer
NBE's ONPS/10/2025 doubled the capital bar, capped ownership and mandated wallet interoperability for Ethiopian payment providers. A risk team's readiness Q&A, from capital adequacy to the 2026-2030 digital payments roadmap.
FXD/04/2026: When 100% FX Retention Doesn't Mean Zero Questions
NBE's FXD/04/2026 lets service exporters retain 100% of FX earnings indefinitely. For bank compliance teams, that changes what a normal retention account looks like, not what due diligence it needs.
SIB/62/2026: Ethiopia's Insurance Brokers Now Need a Credentialed CEO, Not Just a Trading Licence
NBE's Licensing of Insurance Broker Directive SIB/62/2026 sets a qualification-and-experience bar for broker CEOs, ties ownership to Ethiopian nationals, and gives existing firms five years to comply. A workforce-readiness guide for HR and L&D leads.
Ethiopia's Insurers Have Six Months to Prove Their Boards Are Fit and Proper
NBE's Directive SIB/63/2026 gives Ethiopian insurers six months to get board members, executives and 2%+ shareholders individually approved as fit and proper, or face fines. It's a competency-evidence problem as much as a legal one.
Building a Whistleblowing Channel People Actually Use
Ethiopia's anti-corruption push means more organisations must show a working whistleblowing channel. A box nobody trusts is worse than none. How to design a speak-up channel people actually use.
MNPI and Information Barriers: What to Build Before You List on the ESX
With the ESX live and ECMA issuing directives under Proclamation 1248/2021, pre-IPO companies face obligations most have never managed, chief among them controlling material non-public information. What to build before you list.
Ethiopia's Personal Data Protection Proclamation 1321/2024: Your First 90 Days
Ethiopia now has a comprehensive data-protection law, Proclamation No. 1321/2024, supervised by the Ethiopian Communications Authority, and it applies to far more than banks. A practical 90-day plan to move from exposed to defensible.
Foreign Banks Are Coming: What Proclamation No. 1360/2024 Means for Your Compliance Team
Banking Business Proclamation No. 1360/2024 opens Ethiopia's banking sector to foreign entrants for the first time in decades. The response is turning compliance capability into a competitive advantage before the licences land.