The interbank money market has witnessed extraordinary trading activity in this week’s trading session, according to figures released this evening.

Overnight interbank money trading has shown significant growth in recent weeks, culminating in a record-breaking performance during the weekly reporting period of February 23 to 27, 2026.

The Ethiopian Securities Exchange weekly report indicates that a total of 125 interbank money market transactions were executed during the week. The total value of these transactions also reached a historic high, with banks trading 87.4 billion birr on the overnight maturity platform.

Typically, seven-day maturity transactions account for a larger volume than overnight deals; however, recent weeks have seen a shift in this trend.

In the first week of February, overnight money trading involved 72 transactions totaling 45 billion birr between banks.

The previous record for overnight trading was 53 billion birr, recorded in the last week of January with 94 transactions.

It is worth recalling that the interbank money market was launched in October 2024 as part of the modern monetary policy framework.

On September 26, 2025, the market reached a breakthrough transaction volume of one trillion birr.
As of Friday, February 27, 2026, the swelling volume stands at 1.96 trillion birr and is expected to double in the coming week.

The remarkable growth is attributed to growing confidence and increasing experience among market participants.

In a statement released today, the central bank clarified that under the current regulatory framework, any platform, exchange, or service facilitating Birr-paired P2P trading is prohibited unless explicitly authorized by the NBE. This ban specifically extends to all forms
The NBE’s notice serves to define the legal boundaries of digital asset trading within the country, emphasizing that the national payment system currently excludes such informal financial channels. The central bank stated that these unauthorized transactions operate outside the regulated financial ecosystem, lacking the mandatory safeguards associated with formal financial institutions.

While acknowledging the global growth of digital and virtual assets, the NBE reiterated its commitment to maintaining financial stability and system integrity. The institution announced that it is actively developing a comprehensive regulatory framework designed to eventually facilitate safe participation in digital asset technologies.

“This process includes ongoing consultations with international peer regulators and domestic stakeholders to ensure alignment with global best practices,” the NBE stated. Until this framework is formally introduced and authorized, the public is warned that engaging in Birr-paired P2P cryptocurrency transactions remains a violation of current regulations.

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has disclosed the complete membership of its newly formed Monetary Policy Committee (MPC),
A week ago the central bank revealed that Professor Jonse Bane, an economist from Addis Ababa University, and Tewodros Mekonnen, a senior economist and Country Manager at the International Growth Centre, have joined the committee as its inaugural external members.

Jonse Bane

This confirmation follows the NBE’s statement the previous week that two non-employees would be integrated into the seven-member body. The move formalizes the composition of the MPC, which was initially established under revisions to the NBE Establishment Proclamation in early 2025.

Zemzem Ahmed

According to Article 23.2 of the proclamation, only the chair and deputy chair of the committee might be identified. While the disclosure of other members is typically left to the discretion of the regulatory body, the NBE has opted for full transparency by releasing the complete list.

Tewodros Mekonnen

The committee is chaired by Governor Eyob Tekalign, with Vice Governor and Chief Economist Fikadu Digafe serving as the deputy chair.
The internal NBE staff members appointed to the committee is Woyenshet Zeberga, Chief Market and Operations Officer, Zemzem Ahmed, Director of the Economic Modeling Directorate, and Habtamu Workineh, Director of the Research Directorate.

Habtamu Workineh

The inclusion of the two external experts is in accordance with Sub-article 3 of Article 23, which permits the committee to co-opt up to two non-employees, subject to the approval of the NBE Board.

Woyenshet Zeberga

The MPC is tasked with the critical role of analyzing domestic and global economic conditions to formulate monetary policy recommendations. These recommendations are then submitted to the central bank’s board for final approval.