Awash Bank has officially listed its shares on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange main market, becoming the largest private bank and the second financial institution to join the country’s fledgling capital market.
The listing, commemorated with a bell-ringing ceremony at the ESX trading floor, follows the successful registration of 54,066,089 shares with the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority and their dematerialisation by the National Bank of Ethiopia’s Central Securities Depository. The bank has listed 37,896,928 shares under the ticker symbol AWAB.
ESX CEO Tilahun Esmael Kassahun (PhD) described the listing as a major milestone for the Exchange and for Ethiopia’s capital market ecosystem. “Welcoming Awash Bank to our main market underscores the growing confidence in our Exchange and its potential to drive economic growth. This listing provides investors with an opportunity to participate in a regulated market and demonstrates our commitment to fostering a stable and diverse investment landscape for all Ethiopians,” he said.
The listing is expected to serve as an anchor of confidence, encouraging other Ethiopian companies to list on the Exchange while unlocking new avenues for the bank to optimise its capital structure and raise additional capital.
Awash Bank CEO Tsehay Shiferaw remarked that the listing represents a proud moment for the bank’s more than 20,000 employees and over 12,000 shareholders. “We have always been pioneers, and today we continue that legacy by becoming one of the first pioneer entities to list on the ESX. This listing ensures that our bank remains at the forefront of innovation and value creation for generations to come,” she said.
Established in 1994, Awash Bank is Ethiopia’s largest private commercial bank, operating more than 1,000 branches and leading in digital banking and financial inclusion. Its listing follows a strong financial performance, with the bank reporting a profit before tax of 2.6 billion birr in the first half of the 2025/26 fiscal year and total assets surpassing 13 billion birr as of December 31, 2025.
