The Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA) has approved the registration of Sidama Bank S.C.’s existing shares, marking another step in bringing Ethiopia’s banking sector into the country’s regulated capital market framework.
In a public notice issued pursuant to Articles 4 and 29 of the Public Offer and Trading of Securities Directive No. 1030/2024, the Authority announced that it approved Sidama Bank’s Registration Statement on July 20, 2026.
As part of the approval, ECMA registered 1,447,002 existing shares already held by the bank’s shareholders.
The Directive requires that all securities offered or sold to the public, unless specifically exempted, must be registered with the Authority. It also mandates issuers to register securities already held by existing shareholders following the introduction of the Directive.
The registration does not constitute a public offering of new shares. Rather, it brings the bank’s existing securities into compliance with Ethiopia’s capital market regulations, enabling them to be recognized within the country’s regulated securities framework.
Sidama Bank joins a growing list of Ethiopian financial institutions completing the securities registration process as the country’s capital market continues its phased rollout under ECMA’s regulatory oversight.
