Enat Bank Hosts First GABV Africa Chapter Meeting

In Short

Enat Bank hosted the first GABV Africa Chapter meeting in Ethiopia on October 1 to 2, 2026. The bank also said it is preparing to launch a Gender Bond to widen access to funding.

What Happened

Enat Bank, listed on Liners as Enat Bank, hosted the first-ever Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) Africa Chapter meeting in Addis Ababa.

The two-day meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and brought together regional and global leaders in values-based banking. Values-based banking is a model where banks aim to deliver financial returns while also focusing on social and environmental outcomes.

The event theme was “Transforming Banking: Leveraging ESG and Technology for Financial Impact.” ESG means environmental, social, and governance, it is a way to measure how an organisation manages climate impact, people-related issues, and corporate oversight.

In her opening remarks, Enat Bank board chairperson Aster Solomon said the bank was founded with a mandate to economically empower women and their families, while providing accessible financial services for wider society. She also said the bank’s focus on sustainability, inclusive investment, and technology has supported strong financial results and partnerships.

Enat Bank said it has been recognised for two consecutive years for gender financial inclusion and as a “Market Leader” in advancing women’s financial access. In the same update, it said it is preparing to launch a Gender Bond.

A Gender Bond is a debt instrument, similar to an IOU, where the proceeds are intended to fund projects that improve women’s economic participation, such as lending to women-led SMEs.

GABV executive director Martin Rohner said the meeting helps members share expertise and develop ideas to speed up banking sector transformation. Ethiopia’s central bank representative, Frezer Yalew of the National Bank of Ethiopia, said the country’s push toward digital finance and inclusion is already driving progress.

Why It Matters

For Ethiopia’s banking sector, the meeting signals more attention on ESG-linked finance and digital delivery, including tools that can lower costs and reach underserved customers.

For founders and SME operators, the proposed Gender Bond could translate into more targeted capital over time, depending on how the bond is structured and who can access the funding.

For investors, it is another indicator that African banks are exploring thematic instruments, like gender-linked and sustainability bonds, as they look for longer-term funding sources and clearer impact reporting.