BCEAO mandates interoperable mobile money networks in West Africa
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The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) launched a new financial framework for mobile money across eight member countries starting November 2, 2026.
Governor Jean-Claude Kassi Brou signed Instruction n° 020 to update the region's digital finance rules for the first time since 2015. The change forces mobile money operators to move away from closed systems where users are locked into a single provider.
The new rules double the maximum balance for identified customers to CFAF 4 million and increase monthly top-up limits to CFAF 15 million. To help companies manage these higher limits, the bank lowered the amount of customer funds that issuers must hold in risk-free deposits from 75% to 65%. This move aims to provide companies with more investment capacity while offsetting lower fees for users. The bank also overhauled pricing for domestic peer-to-peer transfers.
Users can now send money for free up to a daily limit of CFAF 8,000, with a 0.8% fee applying to amounts above that cap. All interoperable transfers must now route through the bank's instant payment system, PI-SPI. While this helps retail users and traders, it may reduce the commissions available to the physical agents who provide cash liquidity for the networks.
