Birr official sell hits 159.16 as banks' forex auction demand doubles to USD1bln
USD/ETB official closed at 159.16 birr (sell) on May 20, up 0.2%. The interbank money-market rate fell 8.56% to 16. Headline inflation runs at 11.7% YoY, up 2.3pp.
FX
Data as of 2026-05-20 — today's session not yet in. The birr eased modestly across the board. USD/ETB official quoted 157.5889 buy / 159.1648 sell, a move of 0.2%. GBP/ETB was the day's biggest mover, up 0.52% at 211.0588 / 213.1694. EUR/ETB rose 0.13%, AED/ETB 0.2%, CNY/ETB 0.12% and JPY/ETB 0.08%. The parallel-market USD/ETB held at 177.13 birr, putting the parallel rate roughly 11.3% above the official sell. Context: Reporter (May 19) said the central bank's latest forex auction cleared near 159.98 birr, with bank demand of USD1bln against USD500mln on offer.
Macro
Headline inflation accelerated to 11.7% YoY as of May 12, up 2.3pp. Food inflation ran hotter at 13.5% while non-food sat at 9.1%, showing the cost-of-living squeeze concentrated in food baskets.
ESX
Four equities plus the money-market index traded May 21. Awash Bank (AWAB) was the gainer, last 2,998 birr, up 0.28%. The Interbank Money Market index (IBMM) fell 8.56% to 16 — a rate move, not an equity. Wegagen Bank (WGBX) held flat at 1,191 and Gadaa Bank (GDAB) flat at 1,160. Ethio Telecom (TELE) shows on the board at 300 birr with no change recorded.
Watch
- Forex auction stress: bank FX demand doubled to USD1bln in the central bank's latest auction (Reporter, May 19), clearing near 159.98 birr.
- The EU began lifting Schengen visa restrictions on Ethiopians (May 20).
- IGAD's climate centre warns of below-normal June–September rainfall across the Horn, with above-60% probability over much of Ethiopia — a risk to rain-fed agriculture and hydropower.
- No new ESX company filings in the past three days; the most recent were two trading-member admissions (May 11) and a regional roadshow (May 12).