A support project for fintechs was launched in Abidjan on 6 October 2026. It is led by the Agency for the Promotion of Financial Inclusion, under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Budget, with the support of the African Development Bank.
Skills, compliance and new services
The initiative forms part of the Côte d’Ivoire Business Climate Improvement Support Programme, PACA-CI. The priorities presented concern business development, skills building and regulatory compliance. They also include diversifying an offer still focused on payments and transfers.
The programme coordinator mentioned a commitment of around 684 million FCFA for three projects devoted to financial inclusion. This amount corresponds to this set of projects, not to an allocation announced for each fintech.
Turning a technical solution into a sustainable service
For a fintech, growth does not depend only on the number of users recruited. It also requires handling incidents, ensuring transactions settle and enabling customers to understand fees. Operational skills and compliance are therefore conditions for service continuity.
For small business users, the diversification of solutions can be assessed through specific uses: collecting payments, paying suppliers or tracking cash movements. These uses require reliable services suited to day-to-day operations.
Monitoring of the project could distinguish between the businesses supported, the skills strengthened and the services actually offered to customers. The BCEAO's recent list of payment institutions also provides, in parallel, a reference for checking licensed players in the Union.
Also read: PI-SPI: the Ivorian Treasury uses instant payments for mass transfers.