Country guides

Launching mobile money in Cameroon

Cameroon is the largest mobile money market in the CEMAC zone. Payment services are regulated across the six CEMAC countries by COBAC and the BEAC.

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Mobile network operators lead the market, and since the 2018 regulation they run their payment services through licensed subsidiaries. Banks, MFIs and fintechs can now compete with their own licences or partnerships.

Cameroon is bilingual. A service that works in French and English from day one reaches the whole country, and the same platform extends to Gabon, Congo, Chad, the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea.

The rules in brief

Regulator: COBAC (Central African Banking Commission) and BEAC (Bank of Central African States)
Main texts: Regulation 04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC of 21 December 2018 on payment services; COBAC Regulation R-2019/02
Licence routes: Payment institution licence; or a partner bank or licensed payment institution
Minimum capital: 500 million FCFA for a payment institution. A COBAC draft of July 2026 proposes 1 billion FCFA
Interoperability: GIMAC, the CEMAC interbank and mobile money interoperability switch
KYC and limits: Tiered KYC with limits set by COBAC
Currency: Central African CFA franc (XAF)

Summary of published texts, checked on 2026-10-16. Rules change: confirm the current text with the regulator or your lawyer before you apply.

Payment rails to connect

Mobile money: 2 main operators
Banks
Regional interbank switch

CameroonCurrency: XAF

Methods in Cameroon

Mobile money
The country's mobile money networks
Adapter ready
Cards
Debit and credit cards through your acquirer
Adapter ready
Wallet
Your own wallet (with our mobile money product)
Adapter ready

Payouts to: mobile money

Each row is a method type; the networks behind it are set up in your back office as you connect them. Cards go through the acquirer you choose. The list grows as you sign rails.

Launching with PesaBridge, step by step

Choose your licence route: your own licence, a partner bank or e-money issuer, or a licensed aggregator.

Build your proposal online: countries, payment rails and plan, in 10 minutes.

We set up the platform, your brand and the payment rails while you finish the licence file.

Test with a pilot group of customers, agents and merchants, and with the regulator where required.

Go live, recruit agents and merchants, and add services and countries as you grow.

Questions

Is the capital requirement about to change?

A COBAC draft seen in July 2026 would raise it from 500 million to 1 billion FCFA. Check its status with COBAC before you file.

Can the apps run in French and English?

Yes. Both languages can run side by side; each customer picks one.

Can we connect to GIMAC?

Yes. GIMAC is one more rail in PesaBridge; we build the connection during the launch project once you are a participant.

Get a proposal for Cameroon

Pick Cameroon in the proposal builder and get your price, plan and timeline in 10 minutes.

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