I went to Shashemene to see families!

Egregnaw went to see the families who lost their relatives in the recent car accident.

The Oromia Cooperative Bank announced that the number of its customers has reached 15 million.

The bank’s CEO, Mr. Derbe Asfaw, told Sheger Radio that the bank’s mobile wallet service, "Kopay e-Birr," facilitated transactions worth 1.1 trillion Birr in the past year alone.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary under the theme "Project 20 for the 20th Anniversary," the bank has been holding various socially significant programs from yesterday, February 29, 2071 EC (Ethiopian Calendar), until the end of March. The CEO, Mr. Derbe Asfaw, whom we met at the ceremony, stated that these events would mark the anniversary.

As part of this, the bank celebrated International Women’s Day yesterday by fully staffing its Sinqe branch with female employees, where the CEO joined the staff in commemorating the occasion.

Today, Sunday, February 30, 2017 EC, employees of the Oromia Cooperative Bank in Addis Ababa and its surroundings participated in a cleanup campaign around the Bole Rwanda area.

According to the CEO, since the launch of the "Kopay e-Birr" mobile wallet service, the bank has processed transactions worth approximately 2.6 trillion Birr, ranking it first among private banks and third among institutions providing the service nationwide.

For the business community, particularly those engaged in small-scale trade, the bank has provided 18.4 billion Birr in "Mchu Digital Loans" without collateral to over 1.2 million customers so far, as we learned from Mr. Derbe.

The official noted that this digital loan has transformed many people’s lives, adding that most customers repay their loans properly. However, he explained that there have been rare instances where some attempted to abscond with the loans, and the bank is taking legal action to hold them accountable.

Under the "Project 20 for the 20th Anniversary" program, the bank will continue celebrating the month of March with activities such as blood donation drives, cleanup campaigns, community consultations, and support for charitable organizations.

Established on February 29, 1997 EC, the Oromia Cooperative Bank has over 15,000 employees in its 20-year journey, as we were informed.

Mintamir Tsegaw