Payment methods in Central African Republic

Africa

2methods

1bank

CAR is among the world's least financially included countries; formal banking is largely confined to Bangui.

Market takeaways

CAR is among the world's least financially included countries; formal banking is largely confined to Bangui.
The CEMAC regional mobile money market (covering CAR, Cameroon, Congo, Chad, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea) processed €44B in transactions in 2023, a 24% increase.
The agent network in CEMAC grew 37% in 2023 following regulatory changes ending operator exclusivity.
CAR adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2022, though adoption has been very limited in practice.
Cash dominates all economic activity; mobile money is present mainly in Bangui and larger towns.

Population

~5M

Online population

~0.8M

Banked population

~10%

Mobile Money Penetration

~15% of adults

Credit card population

~0.5%

Payment method breakdown

Cash80%
Mobile Money15%
Bank Transfer4%
Card1%
Other0%

Card scheme breakdown

Visa60%
Mastercard35%
Local Schemes5%
Other0%

Cross-border e-commerce

Market data coming soon.

Featured payment methods in Central African Republic

Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.

Airtel Money CAR

Airtel Money provides mobile financial services to Airtel subscribers in the Central African Republic, offering basic P2P transfers and airtime purchases.

Orange Money CAR

Orange Money is one of CAR's primary mobile money services, providing P2P transfers, bill payments, and airtime top-up in areas with Orange network coverage. Services are limited to urban centres due to infrastructure gaps.