The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) officially launched a full-fledged Central Securities Depository (CSD) system and the country’s first National Investor Portal, named ‘Ts’ega’ (meaning “wealth”), effective November 22, 2025. This dual launch marks a major strategic advancement in Ethiopia’s sustained efforts to build a transparent, efficient, and fully digital capital market ecosystem. The CSD replaces decades of manual and paper-based procedures by enabling the secure, electronic safekeeping, registration, clearing, and settlement of both government and private securities, aligning Ethiopia with international best practices.
The CSD is a core component of modern financial systems, providing end-to-end processing for the securities market. Its functions include managing the post-trade lifecycle—such as the transfer of ownership, clearing, settlement, and processing of corporate actions (like dividends and bonus issues)—and supporting the effectiveness of monetary policy instruments. The NBE views the CSD as essential for strengthening market integrity and reducing operational risks, which is key for the planned listing of private securities on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX) from 2026 onwards.Complementing the CSD, the Ts’ega portal is the first digital application in Ethiopia that gives individual and institutional investors secure, real-time access to their securities holdings directly from the national depository, without having to rely on manual updates from banks or brokers. This digitalization effort is a central pillar of the NBE’s strategic plan to promote financial inclusion and broaden investor participation in the country’s economic growth.
