Ethiopia Joins PAPSS Ahead of Africa’s Payments Conference in Addis Ababa

Ethiopia has joined the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) , enabling domestic financial institutions to connect to the network and facilitate cross-border payments with participating institutions across Africa. The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE)  and PAPSS announced the development alongside plans for Addis Ababa to host the second edition of Africa’s payments conference on November 26–27.

The announcement was made by NBE Governor Eyob Tekalign and PAPSS Chief Executive Mike Ogbalu III during a joint press conference on the sidelines of the Ethiopia Finance Forum in Addis Ababa. Established under the auspices of Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, PAPSS is designed to support cross-border payments in local currencies and promote intra-African trade.

Ethiopia’s participation will allow domestic financial institutions to connect to the continental payments network, with operational access depending on implementation by the institutions involved.

Meanwhile, the second edition of COWRY 2026, Africa’s Payments Conference, will take place at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel under the theme “Scaling Africa’s Sovereign Payments: From Continental Connectivity to Global Integration.” Organisers expect more than 1,000 participants from banking, fintech, payments, regulation and technology to discuss cross-border payment connectivity and the integration of African financial infrastructure with global markets.