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Addis Ababa — Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice has lifted account freezes on StarPay Financial Technology and YagoutPay Financial Technology, two of ten digital payment platforms placed under investigation late last year, after authorities said a review found no links to betting activities.
The two firms were among a group of fintech companies whose bank accounts were frozen under a directive issued on Dec. 29, 2025, as part of a broader probe into alleged regulatory breaches in the fast-growing digital payments sector. The order, signed by State Minister for the Attorney General Division Tesfaye Daba Wakjira, required banks to halt access to funds and submit detailed transaction records and customer due-diligence documentation.
In a follow-up letter dated Jan. 2, 2026, the ministry notified financial institutions that the suspension on StarPay and YagoutPay had been lifted. In YagoutPay’s case, authorities authorized the release of 29,299.50 birr, while retaining the remaining balance pending the conclusion of further checks, according to the notice.
The original directive instructed banks to freeze both local and foreign-currency balances held in savings and current accounts linked to the listed fintechs, including accounts opened jointly or through proxy arrangements. Banks were also ordered to provide full transaction histories from account inception, Excel-formatted statements, and certified copies of identity and authorization documents.
The platforms named in the initial order — including ArifPay, AddisPay, FenanPay, LakiPay, StarPay, YagoutPay, SantimPay Financial Solution, Kacha, Chapa, and Sinan Pay — rank among Ethiopia’s most widely used payment gateways, serving merchants, e-commerce businesses and individual users.
The decision to lift the freeze on StarPay is particularly notable given the platform’s recent high-profile launch in partnership with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, which officially unveiled the service on Jan. 16 as part of its push to expand digital banking and integrated payment solutions.
The episode underscores the tightening regulatory scrutiny facing Ethiopia’s fintech industry, as authorities seek to balance rapid digitalization with enforcement of compliance and financial-crime safeguards.
