EthSwitch Launches ‘EthioPay’ as National Brand for Instant Digital Payments
By Betegbar Yaregal December 19, 2025
EthSwitch, the national financial switch operator, has officially launched ‘EthioPay’ as a unified brand for all instant digital payment services in Ethiopia. The brand aims to consolidate the country’s digital payment ecosystem under a single, trusted national identity.
Announced at an event in Friendsip Park, EthioPay is designed not to replace existing banks or mobile money services, but to integrate them under one common platform. Solomon Desta, Vice Governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the EthSwitch Board, described EthioPay as a “national asset built on collaboration,” emphasizing that its success depends on collective adoption across the financial sector.
Described as a fully integrated and sustainable payment ecosystem, EthioPay integrates various actors and payment types onto a single platform. It is designed to be the secure and instant channel for digital payments and money transfers, accelerating Ethiopia’s journey toward a robust digital economy.
Importantly, Solomon stressed that EthioPay is nationally owned and will represent the future of digital payments in Ethiopia, including future cross-border and regional transactions. “Today’s EthioPay launch unites our digital payment systems with a common vision,” he concluded.
EthSwitch CEO Yilebes Addis explained that the EthioPay brand will represent a range of interoperable services, including instant money transfers, e-commerce, mobile banking, and card schemes. The system is intended to be secure, affordable, and accessible, aiming to accelerate Ethiopia’s shift to a digital economy.
The CEO highlighted that EthioPay moves Ethiopia from a state of fragmented digital finance to an affordable, trusted, and easy-to-remember ecosystem. The brand’s logo features a bird symbolizing speed and reach, and the color orange representing constant energy and movement in the financial system.
The launch follows the initial introduction of the instant payment system at the Ethiopian Digital Payment Conference II on December 9-10, 2025.
