Ethio telecom and Mastercard Deepen Partnership on Cross-Border Digital Payments
The partnership forms part of Ethio telecom’s broader efforts to drive Digital Ethiopia through international collaborations that expand access to financial services and unlock new economic opportunities.
Ethio telecom and Mastercard are strengthening their strategic collaboration to advance international digital financial solutions and expand Ethiopia’s global digital footprint.
Ethio telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamru held high-level discussions with a Mastercard delegation led by Shehryar Ali, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for East Africa, to review progress on ongoing initiatives and explore new opportunities for innovation in digital finance.
The engagement focused on enhancing cross-border payments and remittance services while identifying additional ways to deliver value to customers and businesses. Both parties also explored opportunities to integrate Ethio telecom’s digital capabilities with Mastercard’s global payments ecosystem to support next-generation fintech solutions.
Ethio telecom highlighted its extensive digital infrastructure and ecosystem, which powers its mobile money platform, telebirr, serving over 58 million customers. The company noted that this foundation positions it to scale international financial services and strengthen Ethiopia’s role in the global digital economy.
Discussions also covered improving multi-currency liquidity capabilities and enabling seamless international financial flows, aimed at boosting financial inclusion and connectivity.
Mastercard acknowledged the progress made, citing Ethio telecom’s infrastructure strength, growing user base, and innovation-driven approach as key enablers of advanced financial services.
Both organisations agreed to intensify collaboration by streamlining integration processes and accelerating product development timelines to fast-track the rollout of cross-border financial solutions.
The partnership forms part of Ethio telecom’s broader efforts to drive Digital Ethiopia through international collaborations that expand access to financial services and unlock new economic opportunities.
