• Gabon’s banking penetration rate reached 25.06% as of Dec. 31, 2023, according to the BEAC.

• BCEG signed a partnership with Bamboo Microfinance on Jan. 23, 2026 to expand banking access outside major cities.

• Gabon posts the highest banking penetration rate in the CEMAC region, well above the regional average of 11.68%.

The Banque pour le commerce et l’entrepreneuriat du Gabon (BCEG), fully owned by Gabonese institutional and private investors and focused on financing small and very small enterprises, signed a partnership agreement with Bamboo Microfinance to facilitate access to banking services, mainly in inland areas of the country.

The two institutions formalized the partnership through a convention signed on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. The agreement aims to bring banking services closer to Gabonese citizens by leveraging Bamboo Microfinance’s branch network, as Bamboo operates as a second-tier financial institution in Gabon. Through this approach, BCEG seeks to reduce mobility constraints linked to travel toward major urban centers, where banking activity remains highly concentrated, particularly in Libreville, Port-Gentil and Franceville.

“The two institutions thus confirm their shared commitment to strengthening access to financing, supporting local businesses and sustainably contributing to the development of the national economic fabric,” Bamboo Microfinance said in a statement.

The initiative also aims to lift Gabon’s banking penetration rate. According to a BEAC report published in October 2025, the rate stood at 25.06% as of Dec. 31, 2023. While the level remains modest, it significantly exceeds the CEMAC regional average of 11.68%.

Gabon therefore posts the highest banking penetration rate in the sub-region, ahead of Equatorial Guinea (18.59%), Cameroon (15.35%), Congo (13.44%), Central African Republic (3.86%) and Chad (2.85%).

Sandrine Gaingne