Ethiopian capital market authority(ECMA) launched a mobile app that is integrated with the Neway investment platform. The app aims to provide investors with up-to-date market information to support informed investment decisions, allowing users to move from learning about investment opportunities to directly participating in the market.
The Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX), which operates under the regulatory supervision of the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA), launched ንዋይ / Neway in March 2026 the country’s first official mobile trading application. The platform is now at the center of a broader institutional strategy to widen public participation in Ethiopia’s capital market and reduce the barriers that have historically kept ordinary investors on the sidelines.
What Is Neway and Why Does It Matter?
Neway, which translates to wealth or asset in Amharic, was developed through ESX’s strategic partnership with technology provider Infotech Private Limited. The app is available on both Android and iOS and allows users to:
- Remotely open a brokerage account using digital National ID (Fayda) verification — no office visit required
- Monitor real-time stock prices, portfolio value, and market activity
- Execute trades in equities and fixed-income instruments directly from their phones
- Access financial literacy content through the built-in ESX Digital Academy, offering free modules on investing, securities, and capital market concepts
- Practice with simulated trading in “Paper Trading” mode before committing real money
Speaking at the March 2026 launch in Addis Ababa, ESX CEO Tilahun Esmael Kassahun described the platform as transformative. “With the launch of Neway, investors can now access the market anytime and anywhere,” he said. “By putting the market in the hands of every Ethiopian, we are empowering them to participate directly in the country’s economic growth, while making capital market participation more inclusive, transparent, and efficient.”
ECMA’s Broader Digital Push: Integrating Regulation, Education, and Access
The Neway launch is not happening in isolation. ECMA Director General Hana Tehelku, speaking on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali in May 2026, outlined the authority’s roadmap for deepening Ethiopia’s capital market through digital integration, investor protection, and financial literacy.
“Our capital market growth will not be tied only to equities,” she noted, pointing to the Treasury bill market as an area where broader public digital participation is actively being pursued. She emphasized that integrating investment platforms with payment systems benchmarking Kenya’s Safaricom-linked models is a key priority for ECMA and ESX in the near term.
ECMA’s mandate, established under the Capital Markets Proclamation No. 1248/2021, includes investor protection, market integrity, and financial education all pillars that Neway directly supports through its built-in learning tools and regulated brokerage integration.
Connecting Learning to Market Participation
One of Neway’s most significant design choices is collapsing the gap between financial education and actual investment. The ESX Digital Academy, embedded within the app, allows a first-time investor in rural Tigray or a young professional in Addis Ababa to move from learning what a stock is to placing their first order — within the same platform.
This approach mirrors strategies that have driven retail investor growth across Africa. As AllAfrica noted in its March 2026 coverage, “mobile-based trading platforms have played a key role in expanding market participation in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, where digital channels now account for a growing share of transactions.”
Ethiopia is leaning into that model from day one building digital tools in parallel with market infrastructure rather than retrofitting them later.
The Infrastructure Behind the App
Neway is integrated directly into ESX’s Broker Back Office (BBO) and Order Management System (OMS) — the same systems used by licensed trading members. This means the app is not a consumer-facing layer disconnected from the real market; it is embedded in the exchange’s operational backbone.
This integration streamlines client onboarding, order management, and trade reporting for both investors and brokers. As of early 2026, licensed trading members on the ESX include Wegagen Capital, CBE Capital, Awash Capital, Ethio Fidelity, and Gadaa Securities — all accessible through the Neway interface.
Users must select a licensed trading member before executing trades, a design feature that ensures compliance with ECMA’s investor protection framework and shields users from the unregistered actors the authority has been actively warning against. In May 2026, ECMA issued a public warning against an unauthorized share sale being promoted under the name “Gezana” — a reminder that regulatory vigilance remains critical as the market grows.
A Market Still Building But Building Fast
Ethiopia’s Securities Exchange is only months old. ESX officially launched in January 2025 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed rang the opening bell, ending a more than 50-year absence of a formal stock market following the nationalizations of the Derg era.
Since then, the pace has been remarkable. The interbank money market surpassed ETB 2 trillion ($12.7 billion) in cumulative trading value by March 2026. The exchange currently lists several major institutions, with over 45 financial services prospectuses under review, including anticipated listings from Awash Bank, Dashen Bank, and Bank of Abyssinia. ECMA has licensed 5 investment banks, 9 securities investment advisors, and 2 securities dealers as of mid-2026.
The Neway app, though still working through early-stage technical issues reported by some users — including occasional login instability during peak demand — represents the most visible symbol of what Ethiopia’s capital market can become: open, digital, and accessible to the country’s 135 million people.
What Investors Should Know Right Now
If you are an Ethiopian investor considering entering the market through Neway, here is what the evidence shows:
Do: Download the app (iOS and Android), use Paper Trading mode first, verify your broker’s ECMA license at ecma.gov.et before transferring funds, and take advantage of the ESX Digital Academy modules before trading with real capital.
Be aware: The platform is still in its early stages. Some users have reported backend errors and friction in the KYC process via Fayda digital ID. The ESX team has acknowledged these issues and directed users to their call center (9920) for support.
The opportunity is real: Ethiopia’s capital market is at the ground floor. Early participation in a young, growing market — backed by a formal regulatory authority, an organized exchange, and now a mobile trading infrastructure — is a historically rare opening.
Sources
- ESX Official Announcement — Ethiopian Securities Exchange, March 2026: esx.et
- African Markets — “Ethiopian Securities Exchange launches first mobile trading app Neway”, March 2026: african-markets.com
- AllAfrica / Shega — “New App Aims to Open Ethiopia’s Young Stock Market to the Public”, March 2026: allafrica.com
- Capital Newspaper — “ECMA eyes digital integration, investor trust to deepen Ethiopia’s capital market”, May 2026: capitalethiopia.com
- StockMarket.et — “ESX Launches Neway Mobile Trading App”, March 2026: stockmarket.et
- ECMA Official Website — ecma.gov.et
Capital251 is an independent Ethiopian capital market publication. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always verify service providers at ecma.gov.et before investing.