Commercial banks in the CEMAC region (Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and CAR) are showing an increasing appetite for liquidity provided by BEAC, the central bank for these six countries. During a liquidity injection operation into the banking system on March 17, 2026, demand exceeded FCFA 400 billion, surpassing BEAC's offer of FCFA 350 billion.
This increase in bank liquidity demand generally reflects a rise in demand for credit from economic actors. Bankers explain that recourse to the central bank is justified when client loan requests exceed available funds.
Although increasing, the current demand remains below the peaks observed from September 2025, where it had reached FCFA 650 billion, then 700 and 800 billion in October. Faced with this situation, the BEAC had increased its offer to meet the demand.
However, since the beginning of 2025, this strong demand has gradually decreased, prompting the BEAC to reduce its offer, which culminated at FCFA 350 billion during the March 17, 2026 operation. In February 2026, BEAC had already launched a liquidity injection operation of FCFA 500 billion in the money market.
In 2024, nearly half of banks' treasury assets (48.8%) were invested in government securities. Banks favor these securities, including Treasury bills, for their profitability and ease of management, which contributes to the profitability of the banking sector in the region. In 2024, the sector's aggregate net profit increased by 13%, supported by a 9% increase in net banking income.
