High Digital Transaction Costs and Fraud Risks Threaten Ethiopia's Financial Inclusion Goals

High digital transaction fees, undisclosed user charges, and unmitigated digital fraud risks are threatening to derail Ethiopia’s push toward universal financial inclusion. This finding comes from an official assessment of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy II (NFIS II). The evaluation report was released during the Ethiopian Finance Forum 2026 held in Addis Ababa. Alongside the report's presentation, officials unveiled the follow-up NFIS III framework, which spans from 2026 to 2030. The assessment highlights that high service costs and hidden charges create significant barriers for users attempting to access digital financial platforms. Furthermore, unaddressed digital fraud risks continue to undermine consumer trust in the nation's rapidly expanding financial technology ecosystem. Addressing these structural challenges is deemed critical for the successful implementation of the newly launched NFIS III objectives over the next five years.