• IFC to set up CFA17bn guarantee for Orange Bank digital SME loans
• Facility covers up to 50% of loans in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal
• Scheme targets SMEs, women-led firms via Tik Tak app

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) plans to set up a 17 billion CFA franc ($30.6 million) guarantee facility to guarantee digital loans issued by Orange Bank Africa Côte d’Ivoire (OBA CI), the World Bank Group member said on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.

The facility will target small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The guarantee will cover up to 50% of a portfolio of short-term working capital loans of up to $60 million in local currency, issued through OBA CI’s Tik Tak app. The app offers entrepreneurs simplified access to credit and savings products, bypassing traditional banking channels.

Launched in 2020, OBA CI says it has signed up nearly 3 million Orange Money customers to Tik Tak. The loans will primarily target SMEs in the trade and services sectors, with a focus on women-owned businesses. The guarantee will allow Orange Bank to expand its digital lending while limiting exposure to borrowers often seen as too risky by conventional banks.

The project could also receive additional support from the IDA20 private sector window, a blended finance mechanism designed to de-risk investments and attract private capital in developing economies.

IFC and Orange Bank, a subsidiary of Orange Group (85%) and NSIA Group (15%), said the initiative aims to make financing more accessible and flexible, supporting growth in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, two of the largest economies in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

SMEs account for more than 90% of businesses and generate more than 80% of jobs in the region, but their contribution to growth is constrained by limited access to bank credit.

The agreement builds on an existing partnership between the two institutions. In 2022, Orange Bank received IFC advisory support to develop its digital credit products, and in 2023 the two sides signed a risk-sharing facility for SME lending.

Sandrine Gaingne