Platform meets stringent regulatory compliance while empowering the bank to collaborate securely with fintechs and deliver new digital services at speed.
Hibret Bank has successfully completed an enterprise-wide architecture modernisation with WSO2, replacing its legacy point-to-point integrations with a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and API-led connectivity approach.
The new platform is enabling the bank to streamline operations, launch innovative services faster and collaborate securely with fintechs to bring richer digital experiences to its customers.
Hibret Bank is among Ethiopia’s top five private commercial banks. Established in 1998, it operates more than 480 branches nationwide and employs over 9,000 people. The bank is widely recognised for its customer-centric approach and its role in modernising the Ethiopian financial sector. Its decision to partner with WSO2 reflects its ambition to become a preferred financial services provider across Africa, underpinned by the adoption of future-ready digital infrastructure.
To meet regulatory requirements set by the National Bank of Ethiopia, Hibret Bank deployed WSO2’s Micro Integrator and WSO2 API Manager fully on-premises, ensuring compliance with strict data residency and security rules while retaining complete control over its infrastructure. A phased migration strategy allowed the bank to gradually move away from legacy systems, while all new services were developed on the WSO2 platform from day one.
The modernisation has already delivered tangible results. Hibret Bank now processes more than 80,000 monthly transactions across five integrations, with the capacity to scale further. It has also rolled out mission-critical services such as Telebirr mobile banking, MPesa payment notifications, microfinance institution integrations including Awach and Flygate airline payment and refund processing.
By shortening development cycles, the bank is able to onboard partners and launch services at pace, giving customers faster access to innovative banking solutions. The new integration layer has also created a foundation for long-term collaboration with fintechs and external partners. Enhanced real-time data sharing and streamlined internal connectivity have improved operational efficiency, while the bank has also established a dedicated integration unit to manage and expand its growing digital ecosystem.
“Implementing the WSO2 platform in-house showcased the strength of our team and the platform’s flexibility. With WSO2’s support and intuitive tools, we rapidly delivered secure, integrated services that power our Digital Transformation,” said Nebyat Assefa, Chief Information Officer, Hibret Bank.
As Hibret Bank advances towards its vision of becoming a pan-African leader in financial services, the WSO2-powered integration architecture is set to play a pivotal role in driving digital innovation, supporting ecosystem collaboration and shaping the next phase of Ethiopia’s banking sector.
We asked Nebyat Assefa, Chief Information Officer, Hibret Bank, further questions to find out more about the project.
What drove Hibret Bank to replace its legacy systems with a service-oriented, API-led architecture?
Hibret Bank’s modernisation journey was driven by a clear need to increase agility, scalability and customer responsiveness in a rapidly changing financial landscape. Our legacy, point-to-point integrations had served us for many years but were difficult to maintain and limited our ability to innovate quickly.
As customer expectations evolved and with the rise of digital banking, fintech collaboration, and real-time transactions, we realised that integration had to move from a back-office function to a strategic enabler. This led us to adopt a service-oriented, API-led architecture powered by WSO2.
The new architecture provides a unified integration backbone, allowing us to expose data and services securely, manage them centrally, and rapidly build new digital experiences on top of existing systems. It has become the foundation of our Digital Transformation journey.
How has the WSO2 platform improved your ability to launch new digital services quickly?
With WSO2 Micro Integrator and API Manager at the core of our setup, we’ve created a modular and scalable integration backbone that enables parallel development and rapid deployment of new digital services.
The platform has empowered our in-house teams to design, build and release integrations independently while maintaining centralised governance and enterprise-grade security. Instead of developing point-to-point connections for each new service, we now reuse existing components and apply standardised mediation patterns, significantly reducing time-to-market.
As a result, Hibret Bank has already rolled out several critical integrations, including MPESA B2C, Awach Integration, Flygate Ticket Refund, Telebirr Airtime Top-Up, Telebirr Customer KYC Integration, and Phibela Integration all delivered fully in-house using the WSO2 platform.
Beyond these successes, several strategic projects are in their final stages of testing and user acceptance such as Instant Payment (IPS), ETH-QR Payment, Safaricom Dealer Deposit, Wallet Birr, PSS Cards API Integration, Fuel Payment and Ethio Telecom Push USSD API. Once live, these initiatives will expand our digital ecosystem even further, connecting customers, partners and regulators through a unified, secure and agile integration framework. In short, WSO2 has transformed our ability to innovate rapidly what once took months now takes weeks while ensuring the consistency, reliability and governance required in a regulated financial environment.
What impact has the modernisation had on customer experience and access to innovative banking solutions?
Modernisation has had a direct and visible impact on our customers. Transactions that once required manual intervention are now automated and instantaneous. Our improved integration backbone supports real-time payments, mobile wallet top-ups, and faster onboarding of strategic partners like fintechs through seamless data exchange.
This agility has allowed us to collaborate with multiple fintech partners and deliver new products faster from QR-based payments to mobile-driven services. Ultimately, customers benefit from faster service delivery, fewer errors, and 24/7 availability, leading to higher satisfaction and trust.
How are you ensuring compliance with Ethiopia’s strict data residency and security requirements?
Compliance and data sovereignty are central to our architecture strategy. We operate a fully on-premise deployment of WSO2, hosted in our own data centres, which ensures that all data remains within Ethiopian jurisdiction.
We’ve implemented multi-layered security controls from OAuth2 and JWT-based API access to encrypted communication and audit trails. Centralised governance ensures that all APIs adhere to uniform security and lifecycle policies.
By combining modern integration practices with local hosting, we achieve the best of both worlds: global standards in technology and full compliance with national regulations.
What role will fintech collaboration play in shaping Hibret Bank’s future digital ecosystem?
Fintech collaboration is a major pillar of our digital growth strategy. Through our API-led platform, we can now expose secure, standardised services that fintech can consume to build innovative customer experiences.
Our integrations with payment providers, mobile money platforms, and regulatory bodies have already proven the value of open, governed connectivity. Going forward, we plan to expand this ecosystem making Hibret Bank a platform that others can build on, rather than a closed system.
How does this transformation support your ambition to become a leading financial services provider across Africa?
Our modernisation journey is still underway, but it represents a critical pillar in achieving Hibret Bank’s long-term vision to be among the top five private banks in East Africa by asset size and a market leader in innovation and digitisation.
By adopting WSO2 as the foundation of our integration strategy, we’re building a platform that will enable agility, scalability, and faster innovation across all business domains. As we continue to expand the number of systems and services on boarded to this platform, it will increasingly allow us to deliver consistent digital experiences, seamlessly integrate with regional partners, and launch new products with minimal friction.
In essence, this initiative is laying the groundwork for sustainable, technology-driven growth. While we’re still in the process of realising the full potential of the platform, we’re confident that it will be instrumental in supporting our strategic ambitions positioning Hibret Bank not only as a strong national player, but as a regional leader in digital banking and financial innovation.
