USD/ETB parallel slides 1.77% to 181.73; official firms 0.35%, gap 14.4%

FX Official USD/ETB closed at 157.3407 buy / 158.9141 sell on 2026-05-13, up 0.35%. The parallel rate fell 1.77% to 181.73 (flat buy/sell), narrowing the parallel-vs-official premium to about 14.4%. Among officials, CNY/ETB led day-movers at +0.42% (23.1649 / 23.3966); AED/ETB +0.35%; EUR/ETB +0.14% (184.7809 / 186.6287); JPY/ETB +0.10%; GBP/ETB -0.03% (213.0236 / 215.1538).

Macro Headline CPI inflation stood at 11.7% YoY in the May 7 print (change 2.3pp), with food inflation at 13.5% and non-food at 9.1%. NBE's tracked parallel-vs-official FX gap was 12.0% as of May 8 — today's spot reading near 14.4% suggests modest widening intraweek.

ESX Quiet session. WGBX (Wegagen Bank) edged up 0.26% to 1,195. AWAB (Awash Bank) flat at 3,000; GDAB (Gadaa Bank) flat at 1,100; IBMM (Interbank Money Market) flat at 12. No decliners on the tape today.

Watch - Ethiopia formally deferred its 1B USD Eurobond payment to the next fiscal year under the G20 Common Framework's Comparability of Treatment principle, Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said (May 12). - US-Ethiopia high-level bilateral talks in Washington covered trade and investment, defense cooperation and regional security; Secretary Rubio met FM Gedion Timothewos (May 11-12). - IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva commended Ethiopia's reform progress after meeting PM Abiy (May 9-11). - ESX admitted First Addis Investment Bank and Siinqee Investment Bank as trading members (May 11); second regional capital-markets roadshow concluded May 12. - Macron pledged 23B EUR investment push for African energy, infrastructure and AI at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi; Ethiopia listed among priority partners (May 12).