CAMEROON TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS Contributed by: Zangue Serges Martin, Brandon Ntahdui and Joël Noussie, Zangue & Partners
and discussions with the Central Bank are still ongo - ing. The way forward from these discussions was exam - ined during the 16th Ordinary Session of the Confer - ence of Heads of State of CEMAC, which was held on 10 September 2025 in Bangui. No decision on the matter was reached; however, according to the final communiqué of this session, the Conference reaf - firmed the mandate granted to the Governor of the Central Bank to continue negotiations with extractive companies. Looking ahead, the result of these negotiations will determine the management of repatriation, by extrac - tive companies, of funds allocated to site rehabilitation and end-of-operations obligations. Banking and finance sector New regulation on the minimum share capital for credit establishments On 10 December 2025, the Central African Bank - ing Commission ( Commission Bancaire de l’Afrique Centrale COBAC) adopted Regulation No R-2025/02 fixing the minimum share capital for credit establish - ments, effective from 1 January 2026. This new regulation sets the share capital for credit establishments in the category of banks to an amount equal to or higher than FCFA25 billion. This amount was set at FCFA10 billion in the previous regulation. For credit establishments in the category of financial establishments, the minimum share capital is set at an amount equal to or higher than FCFA4 billion. This amount was set at FCFA1 billion in the previous regu - lation. Credit establishments that obtained their licence before this regulation have a transit period of one year, starting from 1 January 2026, to comply, dur - ing which the previous regulation will be applicable. It is worth noting that the new regulation allows exist - ing licensed credit establishments that are unable to meet the capital increase requirement within the prescribed timeframe to submit to COBAC a phased capital increase plan, demonstrating how their capital will be progressively increased in order to reach the required amount by no later than 2029.
New regulation on the organisation and functioning of the Central African Deposit Guarantee Fund (Fonds de Garantie des Depots en Afrique Centrale; FOGADAC) Similar to the new regulation on the minimum share capital, FOGADAC is dated 10 December 2025. This regulation will enter into force on 1 January 2026 and repeals the previous regulation (r-2009/03) of 15 December 2009. In relation to this regulation, two COBAC instructions were issued: • COBAC Instruction I-2025/01, relating to the target size, technical provisions and contributions to FOGADAC; and • COBAC Instruction I-2025/02, relating to the implementation of depositor indemnification by FOGADAC. This new regulation strengthens the deposit protec - tion regime within the CEMAC zone by clarifying the scope of eligible deposits, the calculation of indemni - fication and the modalities of FOGADAC’s intervention in the event of a bank being in distress. This regulation provides that the guarantee ceiling applies per deposi - tor and credit institution, covering all eligible deposits held by the same depositor in a given bank. With respect to indemnification, FOGADAC is required to compensate depositors within two months fol - lowing a request from COBAC, subject to a possi - ble extension of two months upon approval by the President of COBAC. In general, this regulation also reinforces FOGADAC’s role in preventive interventions aimed at preserving the financial capacity of banks. Establishment of the regulatory framework governing inactive accounts and unclaimed assets The CEMAC banking regulator has recently adopted a comprehensive regulatory framework governing inactive accounts and unclaimed assets, pursuant to Regulation No 02/25/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/COBAC of 12 July 2025, relating to the treatment of inactive accounts and unclaimed assets held by institutions subject to the supervision of COBAC.
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