Dashen Bank, Ethiopian Airlines and Mastercard Launch Travel-Linked Platinum Card

#EBR_News Oct 23, 2026

Dashen Bank has launched a co-branded Platinum prepaid Mastercard linked to Ethiopian Airlines’ ShebaMiles loyalty programme, combining payments, travel perks and rewards in a single product.

The card was unveiled at a ceremony at the Sheraton Addis Ababa on Thursday, bringing together executives from the bank, the airline and the global payments network.

According to the press release, the card is issued by Dashen and runs on Mastercard’s global network. Beyond the miles earned from flying, holders can collect additional benefits by using the card for daily and travel-related spending.

Privileges include access to more than 1,600 airport lounges worldwide through Mastercard Airport Experiences, Airport Fast Track services at selected airports and global data roaming.

Shehryar Ali, Mastercard’s Senior Vice President and Country Manager for East Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, told guests the roaming benefit amounts to 1GB of free flexi-roaming in any destination.

The card comes in physical and virtual forms. The virtual version can be provisioned through the Dashen Bank SuperApp, which the bank says has more than 2 million active users, so customers do not need to visit a branch to start using it. Shehryar said the aim was to “remove friction” and bring convenience through digital channels.

Asfaw Alemu, Chief Executive Officer of Dashen Bank, said the product goes “beyond miles” by turning everyday spending into rewards. He also said he was told that this is the first time Mastercard has launched a co-brand of this nature in Africa. The claim was made from the podium, and the press release does not independently confirm it.

Asfaw traced the relationship with Mastercard to January 2008, when the two signed a card agreement, and noted that it has since produced multi-currency international prepaid cards, payment gateway services and, more recently, a virtual card. Shehryar said the three institutions worked on the project for one and a half years.

The airline’s reach is central to the card’s appeal. Shehryar said Ethiopian Airlines serves about 170 to 180 destinations, including 25 within Ethiopia, and that its loyalty programme has 5.7 million members, figures he said he had checked with the airline’s loyalty team.

The press release says the card is designed for frequent flyers, premium clients, business travellers, the Ethiopian diaspora and digitally minded users.