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The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia has more than doubled its daily mobile banking transfer limit for individual customers, allowing users to move as much as Birr 1.5 million per day through its digital banking platforms.
The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has significantly increased the amount individual customers can transfer through mobile banking, as Ethiopia’s largest bank expands the capacity of its digital payment services.
Under the revised limits, which took effect at the end of last week, individual customers can now transfer up to Birr 1.5 million per day using CBE’s mobile banking service and application.
The previous daily limit was Birr 600,000, meaning the new ceiling represents a 150 percent increase.
Single Transaction Limit Rises to Birr 400,000
CBE has also raised the amount customers can send in a single person-to-person transaction.
Individual customers can now transfer as much as Birr 400,000 in a single transaction to another individual’s account, up from the previous limit of Birr 300,000.
The changes mean CBE customers can complete significantly larger payments without visiting a physical bank branch.
For customers making business-related payments, property transactions, family transfers or other high-value payments between individual accounts, the higher limits could reduce reliance on cash and over-the-counter banking services.
CBE Expands Digital Banking Capacity
The increase comes as Ethiopia’s banking industry continues its rapid transition toward digital financial services.
Banks have increasingly invested in mobile applications, digital wallets, internet banking, ATMs and point-of-sale systems as customers shift away from traditional branch-based transactions.
The scale of that shift has become increasingly significant.
Recent figures indicate that digital transactions across Ethiopia’s banking system have reached approximately Birr 33 trillion annually, highlighting how electronic payments are becoming a central part of the country’s financial system.
CBE accounts for a substantial share of that activity.
The state-owned bank has recorded approximately Birr 22 trillion in annual digital transactions across platforms including mobile and internet banking, CBE Birr, ATMs and point-of-sale terminals.
That means CBE’s digital platforms alone handle transaction values equivalent to roughly two-thirds of the reported total flowing through Ethiopia’s banking system.
Why the Higher Limit Matters
The change is more than a technical adjustment to a banking application.
For years, transaction limits have restricted how much customers can move digitally, forcing some higher-value payments to be divided into multiple transactions or completed through physical bank branches.
Raising the daily ceiling from Birr 600,000 to Birr 1.5 million substantially increases the types of transactions that can now be completed entirely online.
It could also support the broader transition away from cash, particularly as inflation and rising asset prices have increased the nominal value of everyday commercial and personal transactions.
For CBE, which has one of the country’s largest customer bases and branch networks, encouraging more customers to complete transactions digitally could also help reduce pressure on physical branches.
Ethiopia’s Push Toward Digital Payments
Ethiopia’s financial sector has undergone a significant digital transformation in recent years.
Mobile banking applications, digital wallets and interoperable payment infrastructure have expanded rapidly, while both public and private banks have been competing to improve the speed and convenience of their electronic services.
Higher transaction limits are becoming increasingly important as digital payments move beyond small purchases and basic transfers into larger financial transactions.
CBE’s latest decision therefore signals a further step in the evolution of mobile banking from a convenience for routine payments into a platform capable of handling higher-value financial activity.
For millions of CBE customers, the immediate impact is straightforward: substantially more money can now be transferred without entering a bank branch.
CBE’s New Mobile Banking Transfer Limits
| Transfer type | Previous limit | New limit |
|---|---|---|
| Single person-to-person transfer | Birr 300,000 | Birr 400,000 |
| Daily transfer limit | Birr 600,000 | Birr 1.5 million |
The increase in the daily limit represents a 150 percent rise, while the maximum amount permitted in a single transaction has increased by approximately 33 percent.
As Ethiopia’s financial system becomes increasingly digital, CBE’s decision could further accelerate the movement of both routine and higher-value transactions from cash and physical branches to mobile platforms.
