Chad Builds Early-Stage Fintech Market Around Mobile Money
Chad’s financial system has long been constrained by low banking penetration, scarce rural branches and heavy reliance on cash. Just 9% of adults had a bank account in 2017, underscoring why mobile finance matters. The World Bank’s Digital Economy Diagnostic for Chad identifies better connectivity and digital financial services as key to wider economic participation, while membership in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) could give providers access to shared regional regulation and payment rails.
The Fintech Times reported on March 25, 2026, that Chad had more than 14 million mobile subscriptions by 2024, putting penetration near 80%. Authorities licensed Konoom in 2025 as the country’s first fully local mobile-money company, offering transfers, tax and public-service payments, airtime purchases and merchant payments. Chad Innovation Hub in N’Djamena is also providing mentoring, training and incubation for startups. Even so, the report disclosed no fintech investment amount and described the market as early-stage, with infrastructure constraints and a small startup base still limiting growth.
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The history behind this eventGhana Fintech Matures as Mobile Money Hits $300 Billion
Ghana, with about 34 million people and gross domestic product estimated at $76 billion, has emerged as one of West Africa’s leading fintech markets and a contender beyond Africa’s established “Big Four” hubs. The Digital Ghana Agenda, Ghana Card identity system and expanding mobile broadband have built infrastructure for digital onboarding and financial inclusion. Bank of Ghana’s National Payment Systems Strategy for 2025–2029 adds a policy roadmap for interoperability, open banking and payments innovation.
An April 6, 2026 assessment by The Fintech Times estimates that Ghana hosts about 200 fintech companies spanning payments, lending, insurtech and regtech. Mobile-money transactions reached roughly $300 billion in 2025, with 26.7 million active accounts and more than 80 million registered accounts, while over 80% of adults used mobile-money services. Cryptocurrency transactions topped $10 billion. The market is now expanding into lending, insurance, wealth management, embedded finance and digital currencies as regulators increase their focus on cybersecurity, data protection and responsible lending.
Burkina Faso Builds Fintech Base Around Mobile Money
Burkina Faso remains a largely cash-based economy, with security risks, infrastructure constraints and gaps in financial inclusion limiting conventional banking access. Mobile wallets are increasingly important because they let consumers and small businesses send funds, receive remittances and make payments without relying on bank branches. Membership in the eight-country West African Economic and Monetary Union also places the market under the Central Bank of West African States, giving fintech operators a harmonised regulatory base and potential routes for regional expansion.
The Fintech Times reported on March 20, 2026, that roughly 15 fintech startups operate in Burkina Faso across payments, mobile wallets, insurtech and financial infrastructure. It cited LigdiCash, Coris Money, SwagPay and M-Score, while Orange Money, Moov Money and Wave are among licensed electronic-money services. The Ministry of Digital Economy, Postal Services and Digital Transformation is backing connectivity and entrepreneurship programmes, with support from the United Nations Capital Development Fund. No funding amount was disclosed, and venture investment remains modest, pointing to gradual growth rather than a rapid breakout.
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