WAEMU’s free-transfer rule could make cash withdrawals more expensive
6 octobre 2026 Hello 👋, Welcome back to Francophone Weekly by TechCabal, your weekly deep dive into the tech ecosystem across French-speaking Africa. For readers who want to understand Francophone Africa beyond headlines—through markets, startups, and systems. New editions of the newsletter will land directly in your inbox every Tuesday at 12 PM WAT. By […]
On October 2, 2026, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) released a comprehensive communiqué that will reshape mobile money operations across the eight countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). Starting November 2, 2026, all interoperable electronic transactions within the union must pass through the Central Bank's instant payment platform, PI-SPI.
While small transactions between individuals will be free under a new rule, larger transfers will have a capped fee of 0.8%. The headline is grand in spirit, but the details reveal how operators, banks, and fintechs will now compete in the market.
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