BCEAO Extends Deadline for Connecting to UEMOA Instant Payment Platform

Banking

Thursday, 25 June 2026 17:39

BCEAO Extends Deadline for Connecting to UEMOA Instant Payment Platform

(Togo First) - The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) on Thursday, June 25, 2026, announced that it has extended the deadline for connecting to the Interoperable Platform for the Instant Payment System (PI-SPI) across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) until Sept. 30. The decision applies to banks, electronic money institutions, payment institutions, and microfinance institutions supervised by the Union's Banking Commission.

According to the central bank, the extension is intended to give the affected institutions more time to complete their technical integration.

Banks, electronic money institutions (EMIs), and payment institutions now have until Sept. 30, 2026, to go live on the platform. Microfinance institutions have been granted additional time, with a new deadline of June 30, 2027.

Launched on Sept. 30, 2025, the PI-SPI platform is one of the BCEAO's flagship initiatives to modernize payment infrastructure across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). It enables instant, interoperable, and secure payments and transfers between the region's financial institutions.

As of June 24, 2026, the BCEAO had recorded 80 participants connected to the platform, including Coris Bank, Ecobank, Orabank, and Bank of Africa in Togo. As a result, several million users now have access to instant payment services. At the same time, 74 other institutions are currently in the testing phase before going live on the platform. Through the rollout of PI-SPI, the BCEAO aims to accelerate financial inclusion, expand the digitalization of payments, and make transactions easier for individuals, businesses, and other participants across the Union.

Esaïe Edoh

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