Chad is one of the least banked countries in the CEMAC region, with only a small fraction of adults formally served, and open banking is a distant prospect. Its payments future is regional, set by the shared CEMAC infrastructure rather than any national framework.
Chad has some of the lowest financial inclusion in the region, with only around 7 percent of adults formally served by the banking system. The economy is overwhelmingly cash-based, banking infrastructure is thin, and mobile money is still developing. There is very little formal financial data on which to build an open banking model.
Chad is a member of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), so most of its payments infrastructure is regional rather than national. The region runs on GIMACPAY, the shared payment system, which passed 601.7 billion CFA francs in transactions in 2025. The regional central bank, BEAC, adopted a CEMAC-wide QR code and instant payment standard in April 2026 and connected the region to the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System in July 2026. BEAC is the monetary regulator, with bank supervision handled by COBAC.
There is no open banking framework in Chad and no roadmap for one. With formal inclusion in the single digits and a largely cash economy, the preconditions for consent-based data sharing are not present. The honest position is very early-stage, where basic access and reliable payments come first.
For Chad, progress will come mainly through the regional CEMAC systems and gradual gains in financial access. As the shared payment infrastructure develops and mobile money grows from its low base, the country slowly builds the foundations that open banking would eventually need.
Important Links
Open Banking Nigeria (Open Technology Foundation) is a non-profit backed by a group of industry experts across banking, fintech, risk management, and more to drive and launch the open banking standard in Nigeria.
