Ethiopia: EthSwitch explores Huawei partnership on AI, Payments and Connectivity

Ethiopia’s national payment switch, EthSwitch, is exploring expanded cooperation with Huawei on artificial intelligence, payment infrastructure and cross-border payment connectivity with China, as the country seeks to strengthen the technological backbone of one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital payments markets.

The discussions took place during a visit by Fernando Liu, President of Huawei Digital Finance’s Central Bank & Non-Traditional Finance Business Unit, who met EthSwitch Chief Executive Officer Yilebes Addis in Addis Ababa. According to EthSwitch, the meeting focused on mobile banking innovation, resilient payment infrastructure, AI applications to improve efficiency and security, cross-border payment collaboration with China’s payment and clearing ecosystem, and technical capacity building for Ethiopia’s financial technology sector.

The discussions signal EthSwitch’s growing engagement with global financial technology partners as Ethiopia expands its interoperable payments ecosystem.

The timing is significant. EthSwitch recently reported processing 387 million interoperable transactions worth ETB 1.26 trillion during the 2025/26 fiscal year, while posting ETB 2.6 billion in pre-tax profit. The figures underscore the rapid expansion of Ethiopia’s digital payments market and the increasingly strategic role of the national switch in connecting banks and payment service providers across the country.

Established to deliver interoperable payment infrastructure, EthSwitch has become the backbone of Ethiopia’s electronic payments ecosystem, supporting ATM, point-of-sale, QR code, instant payment and gateway services that enable seamless transactions across financial institutions. As Ethiopia continues to liberalize and modernize its financial sector, the institution is playing an increasingly central role in supporting digital financial services and financial inclusion.

Huawei, meanwhile, has steadily expanded its digital finance business globally, positioning itself as a technology partner to banks, central banks and national payment infrastructure operators. The company provides cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital banking solutions to financial institutions in more than 60 countries and says it serves thousands of financial-sector customers worldwide.

Particularly noteworthy was the discussion on cross-border payment cooperation with China’s payment and clearing ecosystem. Closer connectivity could eventually facilitate faster and more efficient payment flows supporting trade, tourism and commercial transactions between Ethiopia and China, Ethiopia’s largest bilateral trading partner.

The talks also included discussions on strengthening local technical capacity through skills development and knowledge transfer, reflecting Ethiopia’s broader objective of building domestic expertise alongside investment in digital financial infrastructure.

The significance of the meeting lies in its signal about Ethiopia’s evolving payments landscape. As transaction volumes grow and the country opens its financial sector, EthSwitch is increasingly positioning itself as a key national infrastructure institution seeking partnerships with global technology providers to support the next phase of its digital finance development.

//Staff writer