Visa, a global leader in digital payments, unveiled its new office location in Addis Ababa, marking an important milestone in the company’s continued engagement with Ethiopia’s financial services sector and broader economy.
While Visa has operated in Ethiopia for several years, the new location reflects a strengthened local presence and an evolved approach to partnership, collaboration, and market engagement.
Over the past three years, Visa’s presence in Ethiopia and Eastern Africa has grown substantially, marked by a larger team, expanded regional capabilities, and increased strategic engagement.
Today, the Addis Ababa office serves as a regional hub supporting six markets across Eastern Africa. It reflects Visa’s confidence in the region and its intent to stay close to clients, partners, and stakeholders through day‑to‑day engagement on the ground.
The new office will serve as a hub for closer engagement with regulators, banks, fintech partners, and the wider business community, supporting the continued growth of secure, inclusive, and innovative digital payments in the market.
The office inauguration brought together senior stakeholders from across the financial ecosystem, including representatives from regulatory institutions, bank executives, and strategic partners.
A defining feature of the new office is a FIFA World Cup–inspired mural, unveiled as part of Visa’s global Visa–FIFA Illustrator Program. Created by Ethiopian visual artist and muralist Efrata Birhanu, the artwork celebrates football’s unique ability to connect people while reflecting Ethiopian culture, creativity, and community.
The mural also highlights Visa’s commitment to the creator economy and its support for artists through global and local platforms.
“While Visa has been present in Ethiopia for several years, opening this new office location marks an important next phase in how we engage with the market,” said Yared Endale, Head of Eastern Africa at Visa. “Having a refreshed, purpose-built space allows us to work more closely with regulators, banks, fintechs, and partners, while signalling our long-term commitment to supporting Ethiopia’s digital payments ecosystem and creative economy as it continues to evolve.”
The mural unveiling also underscores how digital payments can help artists and creators access new audiences, receive payments securely, and build sustainable livelihoods, aligning with Visa’s broader role in enabling participation in the global digital economy.
“This new office location in Addis Ababa reflects the continued strengthening of Visa’s footprint across the region,” said Michael Berner, Head of Southern and Eastern Africa at Visa. “Ethiopia joins Kenya and Tanzania as one of our key physical hubs in East Africa. While Visa has operated in Ethiopia for some time, investing in this new space reinforces our belief in the market’s potential and our intention to stay close to clients, partners, and regulators. As we continue to grow, we expect to expand our presence further across the region this year.”
