The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia says its digital banking channels processed 15 trillion birr in transactions over the past 11 months, with digital platforms now accounting for 78 percent of the bank’s total transaction activity.
The announcement came during the launch of a new co-branded Visa prepaid card developed with Ethiopian Airlines and Visa International, a partnership the bank says builds on 25 years of cooperation. The card was unveiled on 4 June 2026 at the Skylight Hotel.
The new product links overseas spending to Ethiopian Airlines’ ShebaMiles loyalty program, allowing cardholders to earn miles on foreign purchases. Under the scheme, customers will receive one mile for every $4 spent through point-of-sale terminals or e-commerce platforms abroad.
Bank officials said the card is designed to make international payments easier for Ethiopian travelers while creating a direct connection between spending and travel rewards. ShebaMiles members previously accumulated points mainly through flights, but the new card extends that benefit to shopping and other eligible purchases abroad.
Bilen Hailemichael, director of merchant and agent management at CBE’s digital banking division, said the bank now has 11 million active mobile banking users, 18 million customers registered on the CBE Birr mobile money service, 157,000 registered merchants and 457,000 internet banking users.
Despite maintaining a large physical network of 1,917 branches, 3,949 ATMs and 4,400 point-of-sale terminals, the bank said its growth is increasingly being driven by digital services. CBE also says it serves more than 46 million customers overall and has 16 million domestic cardholders.
Ephrem Mekuria, executive vice president for corporate services at CBE, said the bank is working to meet customer needs by introducing innovative digital products and services.
Lemma Yadecha, chief commercial officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, said the new card reflects a strategic partnership between two of Ethiopia’s leading brands. He said the airline sees the product as an important tool for serving its more than 1.5 million ShebaMiles members worldwide by combining aviation, banking and international payment services.
