• BICEC ranked first in Cameroon for new credit issuance with a 17.60% market share in Q1 2025.

• Banks increased total new lending by 28.72% year on year despite lower loan volumes.

• Short-term financing dominated new credits, accounting for more than 63% of bank lending.

During the first quarter of 2025,e  thInternational Bank of Cameroon for Savings and Credit (BICEC) ranked first in the Cameroonian banking market for new loans granted to the economy. The bank captured 17.60% of market share, according to the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) report on lending rate developments in the CEMAC region, published on January 19.

BICEC outpaced AFG Bank, formerly Banque Atlantique, which recorded 13.26% of the market. SCB Cameroun followed with 13.22%, ahead of BGFIBank at 11.27%, Société Générale de Banques au Cameroun (SGBC) at 11.07%, and CBC Bank at 10.92%. These six banks accounted for a large share of new lending in Cameroon. None exceeded a 20% share, which confirmed a relatively balanced credit distribution among major players.

Across the country, 19 banks operated during the period. Together, they granted CFA1,827.9 billion in new loans to the economy in the first quarter of 2025, compared with CFA1,420.1 billion one year earlier. The increase reached 28.72% in value, despite a decline in the number of loans issued, which reflected weaker demand at the start of the year.

Rapid shifts in the banking rankings

A comparison with the first quarter of 2024 shows significant changes in the rankings. During that period, SCB Cameroun led the market with a 16.48% share of new loans. In the first quarter of 2025, the bank fell to third place. SGBC, which ranked second in 2024 with 14.39%, dropped to fifth place. Afriland First Bank, which ranked third in 2024 with 13.60%, exited the leading group and placed seventh in 2025 with 7.81%.

These shifts reflected differing credit distribution strategies among banks. In this context, BICEC and AFG Bank strengthened their positions in the credit market, while other institutions adjusted their exposure.

Banks continued to provide nearly all financing to the economy. Commercial banks accounted for 99.09% of new credits granted in the first quarter of 2025. Non-bank financial institutions accounted for only 0.91%. Among them, Alios Finance remained the leading player with 42.27% market share, far ahead of other specialized institutions.

The credit structure showed strong dominance of short-term financing, which represented 63.44% of bank lending, excluding off-balance-sheet commitments. Medium-term loans accounted for 4.96%, while long-term loans represented 8.09%.

Chamberline Moko