Meeting in Kigali on March 11, 2026, African central bank governors discussed the regulation of financial innovations.
On March 11, 2026, the city of Kigali hosted a high-level roundtable dedicated to the regulation of financial innovations (fintechs) and their implications for monetary stability and financial inclusion in Africa. The meeting brought together several governors of central banks members of the Association of African Central Banks (AACB).
Among the participants was Yvon Sana Bangui, Governor of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and current Chairman of the AACB. He presented the vision and priorities of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) in the face of the rise of new players in the financial sector.
Chaired by Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), the meeting allowed for an exchange of experiences between African monetary institutions. Discussions focused on the challenges related to the regulation of mobile money, neo-banks, crowdfunding platforms, and crypto-assets.
Speaking, Yvon Sana Bangui praised the quality of the organization and the relevance of the reflections carried out, emphasizing the importance of drawing inspiration from African best practices, particularly the Rwandan experience in financial innovation.
The Governor of the BEAC recalled that CEMAC is part of the momentum driven by the Conference of Heads of State, which instructed the community institutions BEAC, CEMAC Commission, COBAC, and COSUMAF to set up a harmonized regulatory framework for crypto-assets.
He also mentioned the strategic seminar organized in February 2026 in Yaoundé with the IMF, which laid the foundations for reinforced cooperation between regulators. The objective is to reconcile financial innovation, monetary system stability, and the protection of the monetary sovereignty of member states.
In his capacity as Chairman of the AACB, Yvon Sana Bangui finally called for greater sharing of experiences between African regions, particularly in the digitalization of financial services and the interoperability of payment systems.
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