Major opportunities for Ethiopian banking sector
It has been a few years since Ethiopia started its capital markets development journey. There have been delays in the launch of the most critical platform in this journey - the Ethiopian Stock Exchange (ESX) - but understandable given the Covid-19 pandemic and conflict in the northern part of the country. The development of capital markets is now steaming ahead.?
The most recent development is the issuing of three directives for public consultation by the Ethiopian Capital Markets Authority (ECMA) that will pave the road for implementing the capital markets proclamation enacted in 2021. These include a directive that licences securities exchanges and trading platforms (derivatives and over-the-country exchanges), another one that recognises and regulates self-regulatory organisations (exchanges, securities depositories and clearing companies) and yet another one that licences and supervises capital service providers. The latter will be licensed by ECMA and will include investment banks and advisors, credit rating agencies, market makers and securities dealers and brokers - all activities that will make the capital markets function.
These developments create major opportunities for the banking sector:?
Raising capital:?The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has raised the minimum capital requirement banks must meet to continue to operate 10-fold to 5 billion Birr. Only a handful of banks have been able to meet this requirement to date, partly because of the inefficiency involved in raising equity capital. Currently, banks are raising capital from existing shareholders instead of expanding their shareholder base. By listing on the ESX, the range of shareholders and the funds to be mobilised will be significantly increased. All banks in Ethiopia need to evaluate whether to list and put plans in place to make them eligible to list.?
Capital market services:?Banks are well placed to take advantage of the opportunity to provide capital market services. Financial services experience and grounded knowledge of the market can be brought to bear to create (and manage)??subsidiaries in collective investment funds, market making and securities dealing and brokerage services. In most markets regulators require banks to establish holding companies so that non-bank capital market related subsidiaries are held at the holding company level.????
Corporate banks?can especially leverage their existing customer connections and experience within the private sector to provide investment banking and advisory services.?
Indirect macroeconomic benefits:?Capital markets will indirectly advantage the financial sector, the benefits of which will accrue to banks. This is through greater financial disclosure and transparency that will be encouraged not just for businesses that list on the ESX and other trading platforms but also for any profit-making institution that wants to raise capital in the public markets at a certain point in its life. This improves market efficiency, lifting all boats.
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At Genesis, our Financial Services Strategy team has two decades of experience in capital markets, having advised capital markets regulators, financial markets infrastructure providers and various other capital markets stakeholders across the African continent. Does your bank have a plan to:?
?We look forward to hearing from you.
Ndodzo Mawela, Christian Gebramariam, Nahom Shiferaw?and Richard Ketley?| Financial Services Strategy