• Coris Holding confirmed its plan to enter Gabon’s banking market after expanding into Chad in 2024.
• BGFIBank Gabon granted 71.29% of new loans in the first quarter of 2025, according to BEAC data.
• Gabon’s banking sector recorded a 31.4% rise in non-performing loans in 2024 despite a 2% increase in net profit.

Idrissa Nassa, Chief Executive Officer of Coris Holding, met Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema on Thursday, February 19. After the meeting, the Burkinabe banker reaffirmed his intention to set up the financial group in Gabon. The project extends beyond opening a subsidiary.

Coris plans to build its headquarters in the country over the long term. The group intends to support public development policies and finance private initiatives. The presidency said the objective is “to contribute to the financing of priority sectors identified by the Government, in line with the ambitions of transforming and diversifying the national economy.”

The initiative does not mark a new development. President Oligui Nguema had already received Idrissa Nassa on March 13, 2025, to discuss the planned establishment. At that time, the group expressed its intention to enter the market.

A Concentrated and Pressured Banking Market

Gabon currently hosts eight banks. The market remains heavily concentrated, with BGFIBank Gabon dominating credit issuance. According to a report published on January 19, 2026 by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), BGFIBank Gabon granted 71.29% of new loans in the first quarter of 2025.

Regional data published in mid-December 2025 by the CEMAC Commission showed mixed trends in Gabon’s banking sector in 2024. Deposits declined by 2%, representing a decrease of CFA61 billion ($109 million). Gross loans increased by 7.3%, representing a rise of CFA156 billion.

Asset quality remains a concern. Non-performing loans rose by 31.4% in 2024, adding CFA41 billion. Frozen loans declined by 21.5%. Despite these pressures, the sector’s net profit increased by 2% to CFA113.9 billion, supported by an 8% rise in net banking income.

This environment reflects a market where credit growth coexists with rising portfolio risks. Coris will therefore enter a market that offers both opportunity and exposure.

Coris Holding currently operates in ten African countries. The group entered the Central African Economic and Monetary Community in January 2024 when it completed the acquisition of Société Générale’s subsidiary in Chad. The planned establishment in Gabon will consolidate its presence in the sub-region.

Chamberline Moko