On October 28, 2025, the Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) offered 800 billion XAF (1.4 billion USD) to commercial banks operating in the six countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad) of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). This liquidity offer is a record compared to previous injection operations into the banking system of the CEMAC zone.
Indeed, according to the issuing institute common to CEMAC countries, this performance comes “in a context of marked increase in the liquidity demand of commercial banks”. It is worth noting that the two operations on October 7 and 14, 2025 were estimated at 750 billion XAF (1.3 billion USD) each for respective demands of 817 billion XAF (1.44 billion USD) and 786 billion XAF (1.39 billion USD).
“The liquidity tension observed is indicative of the dynamism of the credit market in the CEMAC zone,” analyze market experts in the sub-region. They indicate that “the use of refinancing by credit institutions from the BEAC occurs when the demand for loans from economic agents exceeds their own resources”.
It was to support this dynamic that in March 2025, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the central bank decided to lower its tender interest rate (TIAO) from 5% to 4.5%. This came after more than two years of successive increases aimed at containing monetary inflation (20%). This monetary easing had favored a gradual increase in liquidity demand from credit institutions. Consequently, the BEAC increased its offer, from 200 billion XAF at the beginning of 2025 to 800 billion XAF on October 28, 2025.
The central bank’s decision to increase its offer aims to support the financing of economies in the sub-region. With the vitality of credit demand, this measure may also exert upward pressure on bank interest rates applied to economic agents.
