The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE; ) is the central bank of Ethiopia. Its headquarters are in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Eyob Tekalign has been the current governor of the bank since 2025.[2]
The bank is active in promoting financial inclusion policy and is a member of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI).[3]
History
On 15 February 1906, marked the beginning of banking in Ethiopia when the first Bank of Abyssinia was inaugurated by Emperor Menelik II. It was a private bank whose shares were sold in Addis Ababa, New York, Paris, London, and Vienna. The bank opened numerous branches including ones in Harar (1906), Dire Dawa (1908), Gore (1912), and Dese (1920). One of the first projects the bank financed was the Franco-Ethiopian Railway which reached Addis Ababa in 1917. The bank then opened a transit office in Djibouti in 1920.[4]