West African Economic and Monetary Union Launches Regional Banking Platform

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), in collaboration with the interbank organization Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l’UEMOA (GIM-UEMOA), today officially launched an innovative regional banking platform, GIMpay. This digital platform is designed to streamline financial transactions across member states, driving greater financial inclusion within WAEMU’s eight-country bloc.

WAEMU, headquartered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, introduced this platform to enhance its goals of financial integration and access, bringing together banks, fintech firms, microfinance institutions, and e-money providers under a single interface. The GIMpay initiative offers digital banking solutions that enable instant and accessible transactions. Powered by Backbase’s Engagement Banking Platform, this development aims to address regional banking gaps and introduce integrated financial services for a population often reliant on cash-based transactions​.

What is GIMpay?

GIMpay is structured as a “super app” that provides an array of financial and lifestyle services, offering users in WAEMU countries – Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo – a way to make payments, transfers, and manage finances digitally. GIM-UEMOA’s managing director, Minayegnan Coulibaly, emphasized that the platform is a catalyst for the region’s economic growth, noting its potential to support government initiatives while empowering the banking and financial sectors​.

Driving Financial Inclusion and Economic Integration

The launch represents a significant move towards WAEMU’s goals for a common financial ecosystem, driven by GIM-UEMOA’s integration plans. GIMpay is expected to bridge gaps in access to financial services and enhance economic participation, particularly benefiting underbanked populations by providing a unified digital platform across WAEMU countries. This initiative aligns with WAEMU’s broader goals of building an interconnected financial market, facilitated by the use of the West African CFA franc as a shared currency​.

What’s Next for WAEMU and GIMpay?

The next phase for GIMpay involves engaging with national governments, banks, and private institutions to expand its ecosystem, ensuring that it adapts to the diverse needs of WAEMU’s population. Jouk Pleiter, CEO of Backbase, expressed optimism about the project, noting that the platform will encourage innovation and allow financial institutions to adapt quickly to customer needs in an evolving digital landscape.