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Fintech & payments regulation in Central African Republic (2026)

Fintech and digital payments in Central African Republic: partial.

The Central African Republic is a CEMAC member state and is subject to the regional payment-services licensing framework established by COBAC Regulation 04/18, which permits non-bank payment institutions to issue e-money under national ministerial authorisation with COBAC assent. In practice, CAR's implementation is severely constrained by its post-conflict environment: the domestic fintech sector is nascent, no fully licensed independent payment institutions are documented under COBAC, and mobile money is the dominant, though lightly regulated at the national level, channel. A further updated CEMAC regulation (No. 01/24/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC) was issued in 2024, and BEAC and the IMF held a strategic seminar in February 2026 to develop a harmonised fintech and crypto-asset framework across CEMAC.

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Legal framework

CEMAC Regulation No. 04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC on Payment Services (in force 1 January 2019); supervised by COBAC (Banking Commission of Central Africa) and BEAC (Bank of Central African States)

Key points: digital payments & fintech in Central African Republic

  1. Regional CEMAC licensing regime

    CEMAC Regulation No. 04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC, adopted 21 December 2018 and in force 1 January 2019, created a non-banking payment institution category, allowing telecom operators and fintechs to issue e-money with ministerial authorisation in their CEMAC member state and prior COBAC assent. CAR, as a CEMAC member, falls under this regime.

    beac.int lexafrica.com

  2. COBAC as supervisory authority

    COBAC monitors, regulates, and supervises mobile money and electronic payment services across all six CEMAC states including CAR, while BEAC oversees the broader monetary and financial system. National licensing decisions require COBAC assent before the national Minister of Finance may grant authorisation.

    beac.int 4mlegaltax.com

  3. Mobile money operators in CAR

    Three mobile telephony operators, Orange, Telecel, and Mouv, each offer mobile money services in CAR. Orange additionally enables cross-border transfers to all six CEMAC states. These operators constitute the primary de facto digital payments infrastructure, but fully licensed independent payment institutions under the COBAC framework are not documented in CAR.

    carnegieendowment.org thefintechtimes.com

  4. Updated CEMAC Regulation 01/24 and 2026 harmonisation work

    A new CEMAC regulation, No. 01/24/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC, was issued in 2024, updating the regional payment services framework. In February 2026, BEAC and the IMF co-organised a seminar in Yaoundé with COBAC and national regulators to define a harmonised and secure framework for crypto-assets and fintech across CEMAC, applicable to CAR.

    jwflegal.com findevgateway.org

  5. Bitcoin legal tender divergence

    In 2022, CAR became the first African country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, a move explicitly disapproved by BEAC. COBAC subsequently prohibited banks and licensed credit institutions in CEMAC from holding, transacting in, or settling crypto-currency operations, creating a regulatory conflict specific to CAR.

    agenceecofin.com carnegieendowment.org

  6. Structural implementation gaps

    Low internet penetration, unreliable electricity infrastructure, and the post-conflict operating environment significantly constrain CAR's ability to implement and enforce the CEMAC licensing framework domestically. The Carnegie Endowment (2023) identified weak institutional capacity and security risks as core barriers to formalising digital finance in CAR.

    carnegieendowment.org thefintechtimes.com

Sources

  1. beac.int/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/REGLEMENT-N-04-18-CEMAC-UMAC-COBAC-du-21-d
  2. beac.int/supervision-bancaire/la-commission-bancaire/
  3. carnegieendowment.org/europe/research/2023/05/securing-digital-finance-in-post-conflict-cen
  4. thefintechtimes.com/central-african-republics-fintech-and-wider-digital-efforts-in-2026/
  5. lexafrica.com/2019/12/a-law-for-fintech-companies-within-the-cemac-zone/
  6. 4mlegaltax.com/fintech-fintech-regulation-in-the-cemac-zone/
  7. jwflegal.com/news/2025-overview-of-regulation-no-01-24-cemac-umac-cobac/
  8. findevgateway.org/fr/actualites/la-beac-et-le-fmi-posent-les-bases-de-la-regulation-en-
  9. agenceecofin.com/finance/1305-97603-adoption-des-cryptomonnaies-par-la-centrafrique-la
  10. beac.int/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rapport-Etat-des-services-de-paiement-2022

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026