Eritrea in East Africa has become the 200th country to join the global financial messaging network Swift.
Ten years ago, 100 countries and 3986 live users from the financial services industry were connected to Swift. Today the network links 200 countries and 7500 financial institutions.
The government-owned Commercial Bank of Eritrea is connecting to SwiftNet services as part of its strategy to modernise its banking system.
David Pryce, director, commercial sales & education, banking industry division Swift, comments: "In the Swift2006 strategy, we reaffirmed our commitment to expand our connectivity both in geography and in the number of members connected. Today, our global footprint has increased to 200 countries and we continue to proactively seek ways to extend our reach and service offering."