The glossary

Financial terms defined in English and Afaan Oromoo, each with an example and what it means in Ethiopia.

Assets

Qabeenya

Everything an institution owns: the loans it has made, cash, buildings and equipment.

Waan dhaabbanni tokko qabu hunda: liqii kenne, maallaqa, mana, meeshaa.

Awash Bank's assets: 622 billion birr.Qabeenyi Awash biiliyoona 622.

Budget

Baajata

A government's plan of income and spending for one year.

Karoora galii fi baasii mootummaa waggaa tokkoof.

The 2026/27 federal budget: 2.34 trillion birr.Baajanni federaalaa 2026/27 triiliyoona 2.34.

Capital

Kaappitaala

The money shareholders have put into a company, plus profit not paid out. It is the cushion that absorbs losses.

Maallaqa abbootiin aksiyoonaa dhaabbata keessatti kaa'an, fi bu'aa hin qoodamne. Wabii kasaaraati.

Siinqee Bank's capital: 23.1 billion birr.Kaappitaalli Siinqee biiliyoona 23.1.

Collateral

Qabeenya wabii

Property a borrower pledges for a loan: a house, land, a vehicle. If the loan is not repaid, the bank takes it.

Qabeenya liqeeffataan liqiif kaa'u: mana, lafa, konkolaataa. Liqiin yoo hin deebine, baankiin fudhata.

Michu lends without collateral.Michu qabeenya wabii malee liqeessa.

Cooperative

Waldaa hojii gamtaa

A business its members set up together, own together, and whose profit they share.

Dhaabbata miseensonni walitti dhaabatan, walitti abbaa ta'an fi bu'aa isaa waliin qoodan.

OCFCU has 400,000 farmer members.OCFCU qonnaan bultoota 400,000 qaba.

Credit score

Qabxii dandeettii liqii deebisuu

A number that estimates whether a person will repay a loan, calculated from their repayment history.

Lakkoofsa namni liqii deebisuu akka danda'u tilmaamu, seenaa kaffaltii irraa herregamu.

Ethiopia has no national system.Itoophiyaan sirna biyyoolessaa hin qabdu.

Deposit

Qusannoo

Money a person places with a bank. The bank uses these deposits to make loans.

Maallaqa namni baankiitti kaa'u. Baankiin qusannoo kana liqii kennuuf fayyadama.

Siinqee Bank holds 178.1 billion birr in deposits.Siinqeen qusannoo biiliyoona 178.1 qaba.

Dividend

Qooda bu'aa aksiyoonaa

The profit a company pays out to its shareholders, counted per share.

Bu'aa dhaabbanni abbootii aksiyoonaatiif qoodu, aksiyoona tokkoof.

Oromia Bank paid 221 birr a share.Oromia Bank aksiyoona tokkoof birrii 221 kenne.

Exchange rate

Reetii jijjiirraa sharafaa

How many birr it takes to buy one dollar.

Birrii meeqa doolaara tokko bitu.

August 2026: 161.8 birr.Hagayya 2026: birrii 161.8.

Export

Al-ergii

Selling goods to buyers abroad.

Oomisha biyya alaatti gurguruu.

Coffee is 28% of Ethiopia's exports.Bunni al-ergii Itoophiyaa keessaa 28%.

Fiscal year

Bara baajataa

The government's accounting year: 8 July to 7 July.

Waggaa herregaa mootummaa: Adoolessa 8 hanga Adoolessa 7.

2025/26 = July 2025 to July 2026.2025/26 = Adoolessa 2025 hanga Adoolessa 2026.

Float

Gabaatti gadi dhiisuu

Letting the market, not the state, set the exchange rate.

Gatiin jijjiirraa mootummaan osoo hin taane gabaan murtaa'uu.

The birr was floated on 29 July 2024.Adoolessa 29, 2024 birriin gabaatti gadi dhiifame.

Foreign exchange

Sharafa alaa

Foreign money: dollars, euros, riyals. Exports bring it in; imports use it up.

Maallaqa biyya alaa: doolaara, awuroo, riyaalii. Al-ergiin sharafa alaa fida; al-galchiin isa fixa.

Coopbank collected 303 million dollars in half a year.Coopbank walakkaa waggaatti doolaara miiliyoona 303 walitti qabe.

Hawala

Hawaalaa

A way of sending money outside the banks, based on trust. It is illegal, but widely used.

Sirna maallaqa ergaa baankii alaan, amanamummaa irratti hundaa'e. Seeraan alaa; garuu bal'inaan fayyadamama.

78% of remittances.Maallaqa biyya alaa irraa ergamu keessaa 78%.

Import

Al-galchii

Buying goods from abroad. When imports are larger than exports, foreign exchange runs short.

Oomisha biyya alaa irraa bituu. Al-galchiin al-ergii yoo caale, sharafni alaa hir'ata.

Fuel, fertiliser and machinery are among Ethiopia's largest imports.Boba'aan, xaa'oon fi maashinoonni al-galchii Itoophiyaa keessaa isaan guguddoodha.

Inflation

Qaala'iinsa gatii

By what percentage prices in general rose over a year.

Gatiin waan hundaa waggaa tokko keessatti dhibbeentaa meeqa akka ol ka'e.

July 2026: 15.3%.Adoolessa 2026: 15.3%.

Interest

Dhala

The price of a loan: what the borrower pays the lender, as a percentage a year.

Gatii liqii: kan liqeeffataan liqeessaaf kaffalu, dhibbeentaan waggaatti.

Loan interest, for example: 16%.Dhala liqii fakkeenyaaf: 16%.

Loan

Liqii

Money a bank gives a person or a company, to be repaid with interest.

Maallaqa baankiin namaaf ykn dhaabbataaf kennee, dhala waliin deebifamu.

Michu, the digital lending service of Coopbank, has lent 52.5 billion birr.Michu liqii biiliyoona 52.5 kenne.

Non-performing loan

Liqii raawwii 90 guyyaa ol ta'e

A loan whose repayments are more than 90 days late. It is measured as a percentage of all loans.

Liqii kaffaltiin isaa guyyaa 90 ol boodatti hafe. Dhibbeentaan liqii waliigalaa irratti safarama.

Oromia Bank: 2.26%.Oromia Bank 2.26%.

Percentage point

Qabxii dhibbeentaa

The plain difference between two percentages. From 15% to 16% is a rise of one percentage point, which is a rise of about 6.7 percent.

Garaagarummaa dhibbeentaa lamaanii. 15% irraa gara 16%tti ol ka'uun qabxii dhibbeentaa tokko; kunis gara dhibbeentaa 6.7 ol ka'uudha.

On Ensight's ticker, −0.2pp means inflation fell by 0.2 percentage points.Tikarii Ensight irratti −0.2pp jechuun dabalinsi gatii qabxii dhibbeentaa 0.2n gadi bu'e jechuudha.

Policy rate

Dhala imaammataa

The interest rate a central bank sets to steer the cost of borrowing across the economy. Raising it is meant to slow inflation; cutting it, to encourage lending.

Dhala baankiin giddugaleessaa diinagdee keessatti gatii liqii qajeelchuuf murteessu. Ol kaasuun qaala'iinsa gatii hir'isuuf, gadi buusuun immoo liqii jajjabeessuuf.

The National Bank of Ethiopia's rate: 16.0% (Ensight's data page).Dhalli imaammataa Baankii Biyyoolessaa Itoophiyaa: 16.0% (fuula daataa Ensight).

Pre-tax profit

Bu'aa gibira dura

What is left of income once every cost has been taken off, before tax is paid.

Galii irraa baasii hunda erga hir'ifamee, gibira osoo hin kaffalin waan hafe.

Awash Bank: 40.7 billion birr.Awash biiliyoona 40.7.

Provision

Kuusaa kasaaraa liqii

Money a bank sets aside for loans it expects will not be repaid. It lowers profit, but protects the bank.

Maallaqa baankiin liqii hin deebine tilmaamee kaa'u. Bu'aa hir'isa; garuu baankii eega.

Siinqee Bank stated its profit before provisions.Siinqeen bu'aa kuusaa dura hime.

Quintal

Kuntaala

100 kilograms. Ethiopia's measure for farm produce.

Kiiloo 100. Safartuu qonnaa Itoophiyaa.

A coffee sack on world markets: 60 kilograms.Boorsaan bunaa addunyaa kiiloo 60.

Regional subsidy

Qooda baajataa naannoo

The money the federal government shares out to the regions, by a formula.

Maallaqa mootummaan federaalaa naannoleef foormulaadhaan qoodu.

Oromia: 179.3 billion birr.Oromiyaa: biiliyoona 179.3.

Registration

Galmee kaappitaalaa

A company registering its shares with ECMA. Registering is not listing, but it must come before listing.

Dhaabbanni aksiyoona isaa ECMA'tti galmeessuu; galmaa'uun gabaa irratti dhihaachuu miti, garuu dhihaachuuf dirqama.

Enat Bank registered on 27 August.Enat Bank Hagayya 27 galmaa'e.

Remittance

Maallaqa biyya alaa irraa ergamu

Money a person living abroad sends to family at home.

Maallaqa namni biyya alaa jiru maatii isaa biyya keessaatti ergu.

2025/26: 8.2 billion dollars.2025/26: doolaara biiliyoona 8.2.

Reserves

Kuusaa sharafa alaa

The foreign currency and gold a central bank holds, to pay for imports and defend the currency. Often counted as the months of imports they would cover.

Sharafa alaa fi warqee baankiin giddugaleessaa qabu, al-galchii kaffaluu fi maallaqa biyyaa eeguuf. Yeroo baay'ee ji'oota al-galchii meeqa kaffaluu akka danda'uun lakkaa'ama.

2.1 months of imports at the end of fiscal year 2025/26 (National Bank, on Ensight's data page).Dhuma bara baajataa 2025/26: al-galchii ji'a 2.1 (Baankii Biyyoolessaa, fuula daataa Ensight irratti).

SACCO

Waldaa qusannoo fi liqii

A cooperative in which members save and lend to one another. It is not a bank, and the National Bank does not supervise it.

Waldaa hojii gamtaa miseensonni itti qusatanii walii liqeessan. Baankii miti; Baankiin Biyyoolessaa hin to'atu.

Members save a fixed amount each month and can borrow against what they have saved.Miseensonni ji'a ji'aan qusannoo murtaa'e kaa'anii, qusannoo isaanii irratti hundaa'anii liqeeffachuu danda'u.

Stock exchange

Gabaa aksiyoonaa

The marketplace where shares are bought and sold.

Bakka aksiyoonni itti bitamee gurguramu.

The Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX) began trading in 2025.Gabaan Aksiyoonaa Itoophiyaa (ESX) bara 2025 hojii eegale.

Yield

Oomishtummaa

How much a hectare of land produces.

Lafa hektaara tokko irraa oomisha meeqa argama.

Coffee: 8 to 9 quintals a hectare; the target for 2031 is 21.Buna: kuntaala 8–9; galma 2031: 21.

Yield curve

Sararaa dhalaa

The interest rates a government pays to borrow for different lengths of time, from weeks to years, drawn as one line. It is found by investors buying and selling government paper.

Dhala mootummaan yeroo garaa garaatiif, torbanoota irraa hanga waggootaatti, liqeeffachuuf kaffalu, sarara tokkoon kan agarsiifamu. Investaroonni waraqaa liqii mootummaa bitanii gurguruun argama.

Ethiopia lists forty-eight treasury bills on the exchange, and none has traded, so the curve does not exist yet.Itoophiyaan waraqaa liqii mootummaa afurtamii saddeet gabaa irratti galmeessite; tokkoyyuu hin daldalamne, kanaafuu sararri kun ammaaf hin jiru.