BCEAO announces free mobile money transfers up to 8,000 FCFA

The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) has announced that national mobile money transfers within the UEMOA region will be free for daily cumulative amounts up to 8,000 FCFA, effective November 2, 2026.

Under this new regulation, all interoperable electronic money transactions in the Union must be processed through the Instant Payment System Interoperable Platform (PI-SPI). For outgoing national transfers, the fee waiver applies to the total daily sum sent by a user, regardless of the number of individual transactions. For incoming transfers, all transactions will be free of charge with no limit on the amount or frequency.

Transactions exceeding the 8,000 FCFA daily threshold may incur fees ranging from 0% to 0.8%. The BCEAO estimates that this measure will cover approximately 75% of electronic money transactions in the region. The initiative aims to strengthen financial inclusion and improve service quality. The PI-SPI platform, launched in September 2025, currently serves over 38 million people through 175 connected participants.