• “Account or telebirr account”means the record maintained by Ethio Telecom S.C. of the amount of E-Money from time to time held by you and represented by an equivalent amount of cash held by a Trust Account on your behalf.
• "Outlet (Agent)" means a legal person authorized by Ethio Telecom, including Ethio Telecom service centers, to provide telebirr registration, money transfer, cash-in, cash-out services, and other permitted telebirr services in accordance with the National Bank directives and other relevant laws.
• “Biometric” means an automated method of verifying a customer’s identity using biological characteristics such as fingerprint, facial recognition, for authentication.
• “Cash” means the lawful currency of Ethiopia.
• “Cash-in” means the process by which a customer exchanges cash for Electronic value , which is credited to the customer’s telebirr account.
• “Cash-out” the process by which a customer exchanges electronic value for cash, resulting in a reduction of the E-Money balance in the customer’s telebirr Account.
• “Customer” means any person registered to use the telebirr Services.
• “Dormant Account” means an electronic account that did not show any transaction for 12(twelve) consecutive months.
• “E-Money” means the electronic monetary value depicted in the customer’s telebirr account representing an equal amount of cash in Ethiopia Birr and operated by  the customer.
• “Ethio telecom” means Ethio telecom S.C., the licensed mobile money service provider offering telebirr Services.
• “Guardian” means a person who is legally authorized to access funds in your telebirr account in the event of your disability.
• “IMT” or “international money transfer” is a service offered by Ethio telecom in partnership with third-party International Money Transfer Services organization that provides an inward international remittance service through an integration with Ethio telecom mobile money service.
• “KYC” means a set of due diligence measures, including policies and procedures, undertaken by Ethio telecom to identify you.
• “Merchant” means a business entity legally registered and authorized by Ethio telecom to accept payments through the telebirr Services for the sale of goods and/or provision of services pursuant to an agreement entered into with Ethio telecom.
• “National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE)" means the regulatory authority to license and supervise mobile money service in accordance with Proclamation No. 718/2011 (as amended by 1282/2023).
• “Personal Information” means personally identifiable information, including, but not limited to, name, address, phone number, identification number, and other related personal data.
• “OTP” (One-Time Password) means a time-sensitive, single-use code sent by Ethio telecom through the telebirr Services to a customer for authentication, account verification, or transaction authorization purposes.
• “PIN” (Personal Identification Number) means the confidential secret number created or assigned for use by a customer to securely access, authenticate, and authorize transactions on the telebirr Account.
• “Products and Services” means any products or services provided to you under this agreement or otherwise introduced by Ethio telecom from time to time.
• “Registration Form” means the standardized form (electronic via telebirr Super App or USSD physical at authorized Ethio telecom outlet or agent locations ) used to capture mandatory customer identification, verification, and account activation data in compliance with NBE KYC and AML requirements.
• “Security Question” means a user-defined question and answer used as an additional verification method for telebirr account access, first-time account usage, PIN reset, or forgotten PIN recovery.
• “SIM Card” means the Subscriber Identity Module issued by Ethio telecom that enables a customer to access and use the telebirr Services through a compatible mobile device.
• “SMS” (Short Message Service) means a text messaging service used by Ethio telecom and the telebirr System to send transaction alerts, OTPs, notifications, confirmations, and other service-related communications to customers.
• “Successor” means a person legally authorized, in accordance with applicable laws, to access or claim balance held in a customer’s telebirr Account in the event of the customer’s death.
• “telebirr Services” or “telebirr” means the mobile money services provided by Ethio telecom S.C., including management and redemption of E-Money and Cash, which enables telebirr customers electronically to store, receive, make payment, send, and access financial services.
• “telebirr System” or “telebirr portal” means the system operated by Ethio telecom S.C. for providing the telebirr Services, including account management, transaction, and related functionalities.
• “Transaction” means any transfer, payment, withdrawal, deposit, purchase, or other movement of E-Money into or out of a telebirr Account through the telebirr Services.
• “Trust Account” means an account opened in a licensed by Ethio telecom for the purpose of holding cash equivalent to the E-Money issued through the telebirr Services.
• “We “,” our”, “us” means Ethio telecom S.C.
• “You” or “your” means the telebirr customer who is registered to use the telebirr Service.

• telebirr mobile money service, allows you to send and receive money through your registered mobile phone.
• telebirr is available to all Ethio telecom subscribers upon registration for the telebirr
• You may register for telebirr Account at any telebirr Agent, through self-registration on the telebirr Super App, or at any Ethio telecom shop center by completing the telebirr Registration Form and fulfilling the KYC requirement.
• Ethio telecom, in its absolute discretion, restricts or limits the number of accounts you may operate at any one time.
• May Ethio telecom for good cause (assessed by in its absolute discretion) refuse to register or revoke any person’s registration on the telebirr System.
• You may acquire E-Money in your telebirr account by depositing Cash at any telebirr Agent outlet or receiving a remittance of E-Money from another telebirr User, and, as applicable, through an international money remittance from a participating remittance service provider or through any other acceptable means that Ethio telecom may provide.
• All transactions are denominated in Ethiopian Birr. 
• Subject to the prescribed Transaction limits and the provisions of these Terms and Conditions, the balance of your telebirr account is redeemable at any time and shall be disposed of only in accordance with your instructions given via the telebirr system.
• You acknowledge that Ethio telecom is neither a bank nor a deposit-taking institution.
• You acknowledge that all charges applicable to the telebirr service are set forth in a separate fee schedule available at Agent outlets and as may be published from time to time by Ethio telecom in it’s official website at ethiotelecom.et and are subject to change at any time at Ethio telecom’s sole discretion.
• Your Cash represented as E-Money is held in a Trust Account. By participating in and/or continuing to use the telebirr services, you acknowledge that your money in a Trust Account shall be managed by Ethio telecom on your behalf.

The following conditions must be met before opening and maintaining a telebirr account in your name:

• You must be at least 18 years old with the capacity to enter into contracts.
• You must have Ethio telecom-enabled SIM card through which you may access the telebirr
• By using a telebirr-enabled SIM card, you hereby consent to Ethio telecom to use your personal data available at Ethio telecom network, to enable the activation and use of the telebirr account.
• You must complete the Registration Form and submit it when duly completed and signed by you. For the avoidance of doubt, a completed Registration Form shall bear your name as it appears on your ID and such other information as may be required. The Registration Form may be filled in and accepted by electronic means.
• You must provide sufficient proof of identification (ID) acceptable by the applicable laws. Copies of the ID provided may be retained by the Agent facilitating your registration.
• You must not provide any false, inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information.
• Notwithstanding the generality of the foregoing, persons with parental authority may open and maintain telebirr account in their name for and on behalf of a minor. For purposes of this agreement, a person with parental authority shall include the birth parents of a minor, a legal guardian, or another person who can demonstrate legitimate authority over the minor’s affairs.
• You are responsible for ensuring that your registration details are maintained up to date.
• Ethio telecom may reject your application at its discretion if any of the account opening requirements are not met or if you fail to provide us with satisfactory proof of identification.
• .Ethio telecom reserves the right to request further information pertaining to your account at any time failure of which may result in a limitation on usage of the telebirr Service, suspension, or termination of the Account.
• Based on the information you provide during registration, you may elect to have a Level 1 Account or a Level 2 Account, which shall have a daily aggregate transaction limit as defined by the National Bank of Ethiopia from time to time.
  • Level 1 Account means the entry-tier telebirr mobile money wallet classification assigned to customers who have completed minimal Know Your Customer (KYC) verification requirements, characterized by simplified registration specified below;
• Full Name, Applicant Date of Birth Residential address Region Zone/Sub-city Woreda Home Number Telephone number captured the customer's photo directly Gender
  • ’’Level 2 Account " means the intermediate tier telebirr mobile money wallet classification assigned to customers who have completed enhanced Know Your Customer (KYC) verification requirements, characterized by higher transactional capacity, such as:
• Telephone number, Applicant Full Name, Gender, Applicant Date of Birth, Residential Address (Region, Zone/Sub-city, Woreda, Home Number), captured customer's photo directly, Captured the customer's valid ID Nationality
  • Notwithstanding sub-article 3.11 hereinabove, Ethio telecom reserves the right to allocate higher Transaction limits after exceptional authorization from the National Bank of Ethiopia.
  • If you have more than one account with a similar Level, the aggregate balance of all accounts shall not exceed the respective category limit where the account belongs.

 If you have more than one electronic account with different Levels, the limit of the higher Level shall apply.

• Ethio telecom recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of all information provided by users of Ethio telecom and does not share your Personal Information with unauthorized people and takes adequate safeguards as per the relevant data protection laws of Ethiopia.
• Ethio telecom collects personally identifiable information that we use to profile telebirr Users and administer individual telebirr accounts, update telebirr databases, and provide User support.
• You acknowledge that by using the telebirr Services, some of your Personal Information will be passed on:
  • to any person whom you receive E-Money from, or send E-Money to, and will be available to any third party involved in the operation of the Service, including, without limitation, telebirr Agents, ATM switch providers, and our technology providers as applicable;
  • to other users at any stage in the course of the telebirr transaction for the purposes of their use of the telebirr 
• You hereby authorize Ethio telecom to share your personal information, including transaction data, details about you/your Telebirr account, and usage of Ethio telecom products and services with certain users or third parties you separately contract with (or plan to contract with and have informed Ethio telecom about in writing or electronically). This sharing excludes disclosures to law enforcement, investigative, or regulatory authorities, and you can withdraw the permission for third-party disclosure at any time.
• You acknowledge that Ethio telecom may verify your identity information through publicly available and/or restricted government databases in order to comply with regulatory requirements.
• You accept that Ethio telecom shall have the right to monitor your account usage and may disclose Personal Information to local law enforcement or investigative agencies or any competent regulatory or governmental agencies to assist in the prevention, detection or prosecution of money laundering activities, fraud, or other criminal activities.
• Ethio Telecom employees who handle Personal Information are under an obligation to treat it confidentially and may not disclose it to unauthorized third parties. Ethio telecom employees are also responsible for the internal security of the information.

Any person submitting any information to Ethio telecom through the telebirr    System may be granted access rights to that information.

• After your account has been opened and activated, you will be able to initiate the following transactions:
  • Cash in and cash out
  • Send E-Money to and receive E-Money from other telebirr users;
  • Withdraw cash from your telebirr Account through ATM networks.
  • Buy Ethio Telecom airtime or package.
  • Pay utility bills or make one-off or periodic payments or payment to utility providers, bulk payments , financial institutions, charity organizations, etc.;
  • Pay for goods purchased from Merchants;
  • Manage your Account (e.g., check balance inquiries, change your PIN, and manage account settings, etc.); and
  • Any other Transactions allowed by the National Bank of Ethiopia and as may be introduced by Ethio telecom.
• Ethio telecom does not warrant that all functionalities shall be available at all times, and may withdraw any functionality or the telebirr Service in general as a direct result of new or amended legislation, statutory instrument, government regulations or policy or any other compelling reason.
• Ethio Telecom may provide additional functionality on the telebirr menu following integration with platforms of financial institutions and other entities providing you with specified services. By using such functionality to gain access to other platforms, you hereby agree to indemnify Ethio telecom against, and hold Ethio telecom harmless from, any losses arising from your access to such external platforms.
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• Access to the telebirr Services is protected by your PIN. You hereby agree to guard your PIN and not to disclose it to any third party, including telebirr agents, Ethio telecom staff, or any person purporting to have authority to ask for it. Ethio telecom shall not be liable for any disclosure of your PIN.
• You acknowledge that you shall be solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your PIN, password, OTP, and Security Question.
• You are responsible for all instructions given to Ethio telecom in relation to your telebirr account.
• Ethio Telecom shall deem each correct PIN entry as being performed by the legitimate owner of the telebirr account and shall regard all subsequent Transactions as validly performed by you.
• Ethio Telecom may require a One-Time Password (OTP), fingerprint, facial recognition, or other forms of identity verification to ensure security before you log into the application.
• Ethio Telecom shall not be held liable for any payment, contract, or business relationship you engage in with third parties or merchants on the application, nor for any resulting risks (losses/damages).
• Ethio Telecom reserves the full right to change, modify, or cancel the application's services and terms and conditions at any time, and will announce such changes through its website or other alternatives.

• Transaction limits and charges as prescribed by Ethio telecom shall apply each time you use the “Send Money”, “Buy Goods and Services”, or any other functionalities that affect the transfer of funds from your telebirr account
• Your transaction request will not be completed:
  • If you have insufficient funds in your telebirr to transfer or to cover the service charge,
  • If you have reached the maximum Account balance limit prescribed by Ethio telecom and the law;
  • If you have reached the daily transaction limit prescribed by Ethio telecom and the law;
  • If your Account has been temporarily suspended or permanently frozen on valid grounds;
  • If there are any other compelling reasons, such as temporary system failure, maintenance, delay, or outage.
  • If you cancel the Transaction request within the timeline indicated to you and use such functionality made available for that purpose.
• You may send E-Money to any user on the telebirr system, as well as any mobile telephone user on any network in Ethiopia, by following the instructions on your phone’s telebirr menu.
• You will be charged a fee for any transactions you undertake. The fee will be in accordance with applicable tariffs and charges, to be published on the Ethio telecom website and/or any other means of communication.
• Upon the successful completion of your Transaction to another telebirr user, Ethio telecom will immediately cause the transfer of the E-Money to the other User’s telebirr account. You and the recipient will both be notified by SMS as to the completed status of your transaction.
• Where Ethio telecom is unable to complete a transaction, you will be notified by SMS as to the reasons for not completing the transaction.
• Each transaction you undertake will be accompanied by a unique receipt number that will appear in the confirmation SMS sent to you and will include an updated balance of your Account.
• Where the recipient is not registered on the telebirr System, the non-registered user can receive the transferred money and cash out only up to 5,000( five thousand ) Birr per day to fulfill the requirements set by the NBE.
• If the recipients do not have a telebirr account, Ethio telecom will send the recipient an SMS containing a one-time voucher to enable them to cash the value sent to them.
• If, within 180 days (or such shorter or longer period as may be determined by Ethio telecom) of the Transaction being made to a non-registered recipient, the recipient has not opened or cashed their voucher, Ethio telecom will cancel the Transaction, and the E-Money will be sent back to your Account. You will be notified by SMS of the cancellation and reversal of the E-Money.
• A Transaction once completed is final and irrevocable. As such, Ethio telecom shall not be under any compulsion to reverse any Transaction.
• Notwithstanding clause 7.11, Ethio Telecom reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel or reverse a Transaction where reasonable grounds exist, including but not limited to manifest error, fraud, duress, or criminal force. This right is subject to the following conditions: (a) the recipient has not redeemed the E-Money; (b) the recipient has consented to the reversal; and (c) the reversal claim is submitted within one (1) month of the date of the erroneous Transaction.
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• If you are registered on the telebirr System and you receive an SMS informing you that you have received E-Money from another telebirr User or through international money remittance, the E-Money shall be depositedb to your telebirr account immediately and you may redeem the E-Money at any Agent Outlet or ATM networks or transfer the funds to a third party by following the telebirr menu options on your mobile phone.
• If you receive funds in error, you acknowledge that you shall be obliged to return the funds to the sender, failing which Ethio telecom may reverse the payment to the sender.
• You may be held responsible under the applicable laws of Ethiopia for using or benefiting from funds that are sent to you in error.

All intellectual property rights in the telebirr   Service, including the telebirr trademark, are the property of Ethio telecom and/or its affiliates. Any unauthorized reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of telebirr materials or intellectual property, without the express prior written consent of Ethio telecom and/or its affiliates, is strictly prohibited.