The Central Bank of West African States, or BCEAO, mandated the use of its PI-SPI instant-payment platform for interoperable electronic-money transfers between individuals from 2 November 2026. The requirement applies across the West African Economic and Monetary Union. It covers transfers involving banks, microfinance institutions, electronic-money issuers and payment institutions. The central bank also set common pricing rules for qualifying domestic transactions.
BCEAO launched PI-SPI on 30 September 2025 to connect financial institutions across the currency union. The central bank said 175 participants were connected and more than 38 million people could access instant-payment services. Its latest notice adjusts the pricing framework after the platform's first year. The eight UEMOA members are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
NEW TRANSFER RULES
Outgoing domestic transfers totalling no more than CFA8,000 per day for each user and participant must be free, regardless of the number of transactions. BCEAO said that band represents about 75% of electronic-money transfers. Above CFA8,000, providers may charge between zero and 0.8% of the amount before tax.
Receiving a transfer must remain free, without limits on value or transaction count. The rules cover transfers between bank or microfinance accounts and electronic-money or payment-institution accounts, as well as transfers between electronic-money and payment institutions. Sika Finance separately reported the new routing requirement and its November start date.
REGIONAL ROLLOUT
Equivalent pricing provisions for cross-border transfers within UEMOA are due to take effect on 1 June 2027. The later date gives participants a separate timetable for regional transfers while the domestic mandate begins in November. PI-SPI is intended to provide a common rail for instant payments across participating institutions.
Banks and payment providers now face a 2 November deadline to route qualifying interoperable electronic-money transfers through PI-SPI and apply the domestic tariff limits. Implementation will determine whether the free-transfer threshold changes costs for frequent low-value users. The next concrete milestone is the cross-border pricing phase scheduled for June 2027.