Ahadu Bank reported 1.07 billion birr in pre-tax profit for fiscal year 2025/26, up 113.1% year over year, on revenue of 3.2 billion birr, a 48% increase. Net profit reached 784.2 million birr, deposits totaled 10.47 billion birr, and assets stood at 14.32 billion birr. The bank provided 2.8 billion birr in new loans, expanded to 107 branches and 1.3 million customers, and launched the Ahadu LeKulu and Mahder digital apps. It is preparing a prospectus to attract investors and strengthen its capital base as it builds on a shift from early losses toward profitability.

Ethiopia’s November 2026 GDP rebasing raised the estimated size of the 2024/25 economy by 59 percent, reflecting updated data and a broader accounting of sectors including informal activity. The revision changes ratios, not actual tax receipts, debt, output, or foreign-exchange obligations: the same projected 2025/26 tax collection would equal about 5.7 percent of rebased GDP rather than 9.5 percent under the old estimate, while public debt would appear smaller as a share of GDP. The government has not clarified how it will adjust earlier tax-to-GDP targets, and maintaining them against the larger denominator could require substantially more revenue. Existing tax measures, debt restructuring needs, inflation, and weak trading conditions remain material pressures for small businesses. Traders Samuel Haile and Melat Abreha describe sluggish sales, rising costs, and very limited profits, while economists stress that GDP totals do not establish household welfare or how gains are distributed. The rebasing may improve planning and measurement, but any changes in taxes, borrowing, or spending will depend on subsequent policy decisions.

Dangote Group and the Namibian government launched a $2.5 billion tank farm and pipeline project near Walvis Bay, featuring 600 million litres of storage and a planned 1,700-kilometre regional network intended to supply Namibia and landlocked Southern African markets. Aliko Dangote says the investment will lower fuel costs and be part of a long-term commitment to Namibia, while President Nandi-Ndaitwah has placed it under direct presidential oversight. The terminal is expected to take 18 to 20 months to build; the wider pipeline remains subject to studies and approvals. The project forms part of Dangote’s broader African fuel-distribution plans and is aligned with Namibia’s development plan and African Union goals.

Ethiopia is tightening document verification for import clearance and banking. A February customs circular requires powers of attorney authorizing clearing agents to be authenticated and registered through the Documents Authentication and Registration Service (DARS), while agreements with banks enable online checks of legal documents. DARS reported processing 264,267 cases and serving 485,209 clients in the first quarter, with 84 percent of cases handled online. Its remote services include teleSign, a platform launched in partnership with Ethio Telecom and government ministries, and work is underway to expand the DARIS authentication database across regions. The report does not state how many verification requests came from banks or customs offices, or how many suspected fraudulent documents were detected.

Ethiopia’s Accounting and Auditing Board inspected 47 audit and accounting files over three months, filing charges against three audit firms and one accounting firm, referring three files to judicial authorities, fining two professionals, and revoking one accountant’s licence. The Board also reviewed financial reports, assessed audit firms, and continued disciplinary proceedings amid reports of widespread failure to meet international auditing standards. New licensing rules, mandatory professional indemnity insurance, and bank checks on corporate borrowers’ registered financial statements are part of a broader effort to improve compliance. The measures address longstanding reporting abuses and skills shortages as Ethiopia prepares to launch a securities exchange and seeks to strengthen investor confidence.

Addis Ababa is preparing six finance and project-management guidelines as it oversees a 502.27 billion Birr budget for fiscal year 2026/27, up 43.5 percent from the prior year. The proposals respond to audit findings across 166 agencies, including more than two billion Birr in uncollected receivables, 1.9 billion Birr in payables, procurement violations, and documentation gaps. Officials say the rules are intended to strengthen spending controls, accountability, and monitoring so budget-funded projects are not abandoned after launch. The guidelines are part of broader reforms that include digitizing municipal payments and revising procurement rules, though the procurement overhaul will take months to implement.

Addis Ababa’s Trade Bureau and the bottled-water industry association agreed that factories will set prices for distributors and retailers, notify the bureau, and publicly display retail prices. The bureau’s list places one-liter bottles at 35–41.56 birr, although market data show substantial prior increases at kiosks. Producers cite imported PET packaging costs, foreign-currency shortages, and fuel-price volatility; allegations that some are using these pressures to expand margins have not been substantiated publicly. The industry also opposes a proposed 15 percent excise tax, arguing bottled water is a necessity. Separately, the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority suspended ASSH Packed Water Manufacturing and ordered a recall of a Fine Packed Water batch after finding slime and biofilm.

Awash Bank has applied to Djibouti’s banking regulator for a licence to enter the private banking market and has sought National Bank of Ethiopia approval to open a branch there. It is also studying a group-company structure that could bring its financial services interests, including Awash Capital, under one umbrella; neither initiative has a disclosed timetable and both remain subject to study or regulatory approval. For fiscal 2025/26, the bank reported net profit of 38.3 billion birr, up 49 percent, and assets exceeding 624 billion birr. Deposits, lending, revenue and capital also grew substantially. The bank listed on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange in April 2026, and management expects to pay higher dividends after completing the audit.

OPEC+ left December production targets unchanged at a meeting of seven core members and deferred decisions on 2027 production quotas to a Nov. 29 ministerial meeting. Those quotas depend on a delayed review of members’ sustainable production capacity, which will shape country allocations and the future unwinding of remaining cuts. Oil markets face opposing pressures: conflict-related risks have pushed prices higher, while forecasts point to a possible 2027 supply surplus if Gulf exports recover. The outcome will depend on the capacity assessment, the pace of restoring Gulf supply, and decisions on existing production cuts.

Ethiopian Electric Utility inaugurated 11 EV charging stations in six cities, bringing its network to 14 stations with capacity to charge about 150 vehicles simultaneously. The utility says the expansion supports renewable-energy use, reduces fuel imports and foreign-currency spending, and helps address rising EV demand, though estimates of the number of vehicles vary widely. The stations are part of a planned 40-station first phase, with more under construction and further city expansion planned. The utility also signed a study agreement with Huawei, China Road and Bridge Corporation, and Beijing Forever Technology to assess heavy-truck charging along the Ethio-Djibouti corridor, where grid capacity will be a key consideration. The article also outlines Ethiopia's EV import restrictions and tax incentives, and links the charging rollout to the country's renewable electricity supply and planned hosting of COP32 in 2027.