Central Africa Tenders CEMAC Money Market Platform
Key Facts
- —The country CEMAC, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, joins Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic. It has 66 million people and US$126 billion of output (2024).
- —Why it matters The six share one currency, the Central African CFA franc. It is issued by BEAC, the Bank of Central African States, and fixed to the euro with a French Treasury guarantee.
- —Why now On Wednesday 30 September 2026 BEAC opened an international tender for one platform. It would run the money market and the depository that settles government securities.
- —What happened Bidders pay a non-refundable 2 million CFA francs (about US$3,430) to take part. Bids are due by 19 November 2026, and BEAC will pay from its own resources.
- —The numbers Two days earlier BEAC held its main rate at 4.5%. It forecast 3% growth for 2026 and reserves worth 4.53 months of imports.
- —What it means for you Banks and investors in Central African government debt would settle and record trades through this system. Software and market-infrastructure firms can bid.
- —Still open The notice gives no budget, technical design or go-live date. BEAC still runs the depository itself while a permanent company is being set up.
The central bank shared by six Central African countries wants one modern system for two core parts of its financial plumbing. On 30 September it opened an international tender for a platform covering the CEMAC money market and its securities depository.
The Bank of Central African States (BEAC, its French initials) is the central bank for six countries. They are Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.
Together they form CEMAC, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, home to about 66 million people. Their economies produced about US$126 billion of output in 2024, according to World Bank data.
That is less than 4% of the size of the British economy. Still, the bloc is a major source of oil, timber and manganese.
What BEAC put out to tender
BEAC posted the notice on its website on Wednesday 30 September 2026, numbered 150/BEAC/DGEFRI-CRCT/SIO/Ser/2026. It seeks firms to supply and install a platform covering the CEMAC money market and the Single Central Depository.
The bank says the project serves the modernisation of the region’s economic and financial environment. It will pay for the system from its own resources, without donor funding.
Firms must pay a non-refundable fee of 2 million CFA francs (about US$3,430) to enter. The tender file is in French and can be collected at BEAC’s headquarters in Yaoundé, Cameroon, or its national offices.
The CFA franc is fixed at 655.957 per euro. At Friday’s close (2 October 2026) that equalled about 583 CFA francs per US dollar, the rate used here.
Two pieces of financial plumbing
The money market is where banks lend each other short-term cash and where the central bank adds or drains liquidity. BEAC uses weekly auctions in this market to steer interest rates across the six countries.
A central securities depository is the register behind a bond market. It keeps custody of securities, records who owns them and settles trades when they change hands.
In CEMAC that register mainly holds Treasury bills and bonds issued by the six governments. These are sold at regular BEAC auctions to banks and other investors.
Putting both on one platform suggests BEAC wants a shared technology base for liquidity operations and the securities behind them. Agence Ecofin, a business news agency, noted that the notice does not yet say what the system will change.
Why the depository is being rebuilt
The depository question goes back to the merger of the region’s two stock markets. BEAC took over as the single central depository in 2019, the year the unified exchange, BVMAC, began operating from Douala.
In late 2025 BEAC began turning the depository into a separate company. It advertised for a first chief executive and independent board members.
The new platform would serve that company once it takes over. For now BEAC still performs the depository’s functions under the rules of the unified regional market.
In July 2026 BEAC launched a shared payment QR code and joined PAPSS, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System. PAPSS lets firms pay across borders in African currencies.
The economic backdrop
The tender came two days after BEAC’s monetary policy committee met in Yaoundé on Monday 28 September. It kept the main policy rate at 4.5%, after cutting it from 4.75% in June.
The committee now expects regional growth of 3% in 2026, down from 3.7% in 2025. It sees average inflation at about 2.2%, below the bloc’s 3% ceiling.
Foreign-exchange reserves are forecast to cover 4.53 months of imports at the end of 2026, up from 4.07 months in 2025. In June the bank had expected 4.72 months.
Reserves matter because they back the euro peg. A deeper, better-run local debt market would let governments borrow more at home rather than abroad.
What it means for investors and banks
For banks in the region, the regional money market is the daily source of central bank funding. Faster and clearer settlement could reduce operational risk in those operations.
For foreign investors, CEMAC government debt remains a niche market dominated by local banks. A modern depository is one of the conditions for wider participation, alongside reliable disclosure and easy access to cash.
Software and market-infrastructure vendors are the most direct audience. The selection will weigh both technical quality and cost under BEAC’s procurement code.
The notice itself does not promise shorter settlement times, cheaper trading or new products. Those claims will only be testable once the winning design is known.
What to watch next
A mandatory briefing for bidders who have paid the fee is set for Wednesday 21 October 2026 at BEAC’s headquarters. Sealed bids are due by noon on Thursday 19 November 2026.
Technical bids will be opened that afternoon and financial bids on Wednesday 2 December 2026. The choice of supplier, and any launch date, should follow after that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly has BEAC put out to tender?
BEAC, the central bank of six Central African countries, wants one platform for the CEMAC money market and its Single Central Depository. The notice was published on 30 September 2026.
What is a central securities depository?
It is the register behind a bond market. It holds securities in custody, records who owns them and settles trades, mainly government bills and bonds in Central Africa.
Which countries are covered?
Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic. They share the Central African CFA franc, which is fixed to the euro.
When will the platform start working?
No launch date has been announced. Bids are due on 19 November 2026 and financial offers will be opened on 2 December 2026.
Sources
- BEAC: tender notice no. 150/2026 (platform for the CEMAC money market and Single Central Depository)
- Agence Ecofin: Pourquoi la BEAC veut une plateforme commune (2 Oct 2026)
- Ecofin Agency: Six-Nation CEMAC Bloc Plans New Platform (2 Oct 2026)
- Business Finance International: nouvelle plateforme CEMAC (2 Oct 2026)
- L’Economie: BEAC holds rate at 4.50% (28 Sep 2026)
- ACAP: BEAC keeps rates unchanged (30 Sep 2026)
- Courrier Confidentiel: September 2026 monetary policy committee
- World Bank: GDP and population data, 2024
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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