Dashen Bank has officially launched a groundbreaking suite of digital services, featuring Ethiopia’s first digital onboarding system and a Mastercard-integrated virtual card. The unveiling took place during a high-profile event on April 3, 2026, at the Addis Ababa University School of Commerce, with the aim of eliminating the need for physical branch visits and enhancing global financial connectivity.
The highlight of this launch is the Digital Onboarding service, which allows citizens to open bank accounts remotely using Ethiopia’s National ID (Fayda). By connecting with the national biometric database, Dashen Bank enables new customers to create virtual accounts using only their mobile numbers and Fayda credentials. This system significantly reduces barriers for the unbanked and allows existing users to seamlessly integrate their traditional accounts with the Dashen Super App, resulting in a cohesive and efficient digital banking experience.
To expand its presence in the global digital economy, Dashen Bank, in partnership with Mastercard, introduced the Dashen Virtual Card. This service enables users to conduct international transactions on major platforms like Amazon, Alibaba, and Netflix. Additionally, the virtual card is a crucial tool for receiving international remittances directly. Bank officials have announced that a future update will allow customers to use their smartphones as contactless Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals.
To encourage engagement with these new offerings, the bank launched the “Super App Creative Award,” a TikTok-based content competition featuring a prize pool of 6 million Birr. The contest will reward the top three creators with 3 million, 2 million, and 1 million Birr, respectively, for producing viral educational content about the app. Furthermore, the “Dashen Star Referral” program was introduced to incentivize university students, providing them with monetary rewards for each new active user they successfully recruit to the platform using unique referral codes.
The scale of Dashen’s digital growth is reflected in the Super App’s performance metrics; as of April 2026, the platform has surpassed 2 million users and facilitated over 25 million transactions, totaling more than 250 billion Birr. With an additional 30 million Birr in prizes through ongoing promotional “luck games,” Dashen Bank is solidifying its position as a leader in Ethiopia’s fintech landscape, demonstrating that the future of local finance is increasingly mobile, global, and inclusive.
