The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) is the largest commercial bank in Ethiopia. As of June 2021, it had about 1.1 trillion birr in assets and held approximately 67% of deposits and about 53% of all bank loans in the country. The bank has around 22,908 employees, who staff its headquarters and its over 1000+ branches positioned in the main cities and regional towns. The latter include 120 branches in the national capital Addis Ababa. With the opening of a branch in the Gechi in the Illubabor Zone, CBE's banking network has reached online 783 branches. The bank has reached 1284 branches as of 10 August 2018. The bank also operates two branches in South Sudan. It is contemplating re-opening a branch in Djibouti, and opening branches in Dubai and Washington, DC, all to serve the Ethiopian diaspora. The bank is pioneer to introduce modern banking to Ethiopia and credited for playing a catalytic role in the economic progress and development of the country. It is also the first bank in Ethiopia to introduce ATM service for local users. History After the Ethiopian victory over Italy during World War II, the new government issued a proclamation on 26 August 1942 that established the State Bank of Ethiopia (SBE). SBE commenced full operations on 15 April 1943 with two branches and 43 staff. It served both as Ethiopia's central bank, with the power to issue banknotes and coins as the agent of the Ministry of Finance, and as the principal commercial bank in the country. In 1945 the Ethiopian government granted the bank the sole right of issuing currency. The first governor of the bank was an American, George Blowers. He inaugurated the new national currency, which owed its successful introduction to the United States. The United States provided the silver for 50-cent coins, whose intrinsic value ensured popular acceptance of the new paper money to a population used to the circulation of the silver Maria Theresa thaler. In 1958, the State Bank of Ethiopia established a branch in Khartoum, Sudan. Over time SBD's branch network grew to number 21 branches. In the 1950s, SBE established a branch in Djibouti. In 1920 the Bank of Abyssinia had opened a transit office in Djibouti. At some point after the creation of the State Bank of Ethiopia it reopened the transit office, which in time became a branch. In 1963, the Ethiopian government