The national digital ID is to be implemented on a trial basis.

Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and National Digital Identification Program Office have reached an agreement to test the national digital identity on a trial basis.

The President of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Abe Sano, on the occasion said the Bank has a large number of customers and it is appropriate to be selected for the pilot project.

Abe said it is important for banks to identify their customers in order to do their job properly.

He said it is difficult to know the customer’s information properly and that banks have been losing money due to various individuals operating in different areas.

Abe added that the banks have also suffered losses due to the inability to provide services to customers. In particular, in order to provide credit services, it is important to have complete information on the customers, he said, adding that only certain sections of the society have benefited from the service and most of the community has been excluded from the service.

Abe said the launch of digital ID in the country will fundamentally change the overall banking industry and contribute significantly to the delivery of the service to the entire society, he said.

Yodahe Zemikael, Chief Executive Officer of the National Digital Identification Program Office, on his part thanked the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia for its initiative to work with the office on the pre-implementation project launched this year.

He said it is important for a bank to know the customer’s information properly.