Fintech & digital payments rules in Gabon (2026)

Regulation 04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC, in force since 1 January 2019, allows non-bank entities to obtain a payment institution licence to issue e-money and provide payment services. Authorisation is issued by the national monetary authority of the relevant CEMAC member state (in Gabon, the Ministry of Finance) subject to a mandatory positive opinion from COBAC, shifting from the prior bank-only model for e-money issuance.

Regulation 01/24/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC, adopted December 2024 and in force 1 January 2025, introduces a single-licence passport allowing credit and payment institutions already authorised in one CEMAC member state to expand operations across all six countries — including Gabon — without a full re-authorisation in each host state.

Airtel Money and Moov Money are the dominant licensed mobile money operators in Gabon, functioning under COBAC oversight. Mobile money transactions in Gabon exceeded $7 billion in value in 2024 across approximately 368 million transactions. The broader fintech ecosystem remains small — estimated at fewer than 15 firms — concentrated in payments and digital wallets.

BEAC operates two core payment rails covering Gabon: SYGMA (real-time gross settlement for large-value transactions, live since November 2007) and SYSTAC (automated retail clearing). GIMACPAY, operated by GIMAC (Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'Afrique Centrale), provides the interoperable digital-payments layer — including mobile-money interoperability — across the full CEMAC zone.

Neither CEMAC nor Gabon has enacted a dedicated open banking or buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) regulatory framework as of mid-2026. BEAC has signalled interest in API-driven data-sharing standards but no binding rules are yet in force. A 2025 UNCDF partnership with Gabon's Ministry of Digital Economy is targeting regulatory reform covering interoperability and digital identity, which may precede an open banking framework.

From November 2025, CEMAC banks and payment operators — including those in Gabon — are required to migrate to a new unified anti-fraud payment messaging standard, following a binding decision by the Regional Committee for Financial Standardisation (CORENOFI). BEAC is also modernising SYSTAC to accommodate instant payments and mobile-wallet clearing.