EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payments switch has struck a deal with Mastercard in Addis Ababa, a move that promises to plug the country’s digital finance system straight into the global payments network. The partnership comes as Ethiopia pushes to cut cash reliance and bring more people into the digital economy.

The arrangement will link the switch directly to the Mastercard Network via the Mastercard Interface Point and global payment gateway services. Ethiopian businesses will be able to take international payments, giving a fresh boost to cross-border trade in e-commerce, retail, and travel.

Banks will also get the green light to issue co-branded prepaid hard-currency cards, usable at ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and online merchants globally. The cards are expected to make payments more convenient for consumers and improve access to international remittances, which are still largely handled in cash.

EthSwitch has been on a strong run. In fiscal year 2024/25, it processed 287.4 million interoperable transactions worth 741.1 billion birr. Person-to-person transfers made up 128.3 million transactions (577.7 billion birr), while ATM and POS usage climbed by 119.3 million and 24 percent respectively. The company posted 2.2 billion birr in revenue and a profit before tax of 1.42 billion birr, a 34 percent increase on the previous year.