GIMAC

What GIMAC does

GIMAC (Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'Afrique Centrale), founded in 2012 and headquartered in Yaoundé, Cameroon, is the regional interbank payment network for the six CEMAC countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad). It operates under Regulation 02/03/UMAC/CEMAC with the BEAC Governor serving as Chairman of its Management Committee, positioning GIMAC as the central-bank-backed interoperability utility for Central Africa. Its flagship platform, GIMACPAY, is a convergent instant payment ecosystem that interconnects banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators, postal services, and money transfer operators into a single interoperable network spanning cards, mobile wallets, QR codes, and money transfers.

The platform's technical stack includes the GIMACPAY core, the Digibox middleware for rapid member integration, and the Digiconnect cost-efficient solution tailored to microfinance institutions. Supporting modules include interoperable GIMAC cards usable across all CEMAC ATMs, the GIMACPAY QR Code payment solution, cardless withdrawal, automated dispute resolution via GIMAC Dispute, and international remittance corridors. The network covers 80%+ of banks, 70%+ of payment establishments, and 60%+ of postal establishments in CEMAC, serving 123 active members and 37+ million interconnected users with 2.7 million GIMAC cards in circulation and more than 600 billion FCFA processed in 2025.

GIMAC monetizes through transaction fees on payments, transfers, and withdrawals processed across member institutions, supplemented by recurring membership subscription fees (50,000 FCFA/month for Card Personalizers, 100,000 FCFA/month for ATM Providers). GIMAC distributes services through member financial institutions (acting as channel partners to reach end consumers), pursues event-driven engagement (Africa Banking Forum, GITEX Africa, CADIF), and is expanding commercially via partnerships with Visa (April 2026) and AfricaNenda (2023). Certification posture includes PCI DSS V4.0.1 (renewed March 2026) and an in-progress ISO 27001:2022 pursuit.

Name

GIMAC

Legal name

Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'Afrique Centrale (GIMAC)

Website

https://gimac-afr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GIMAC (Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'Afrique Centrale) is the central-bank-backed regional interbank payment network for the six CEMAC countries, operating the GIMACPAY platform to interconnect banks, microfinance institutions, and mobile money operators across cards, wallets, QR codes, and money transfers for 123 members and 37+ million users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Network Infrastructure

NAICS

Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Remittance & Cross-Border Payment Rails (SWIFT, Local Clearing, RTP Connectivity) (FSAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border Card-Based Transfers & Multi-Currency Cards (FSAGAKAE), A2A Payment Initiation Service Providers (PISPs) (FSAMAFAB)

Keywords

• Interbank payment network
• Payment interoperability
• Mobile money services
• Cross-border payments
• Card payment processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Yaoundé

HQ country

Cameroon

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees: GIMAC generates revenue from transaction fees charged on payments, transfers, and withdrawals processed through the GIMACPAY network across member institutions
2. Membership Fees: Financial institutions (banks, microfinance, payment operators) pay membership/certification fees to join the GIMACPAY ecosystem. Pricing includes 50,000 FCFA/month for Card Personalizers and 100,000 FCFA/month for ATM Providers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GIMAC operates GIMACPAY, a convergent instant payment ecosystem that interconnects banks, microfinance institutions, and mobile money operators across the six CEMAC countries in Central Africa. The platform enables interoperable card payments, mobile money transfers, QR code payments, ATM withdrawals, agency banking, and cross-border remittances through 123 active member institutions serving more than 37 million interconnected users.

Product overview

GIMAC operates GIMACPAY as a unified convergent payment ecosystem platform that interconnects banks, microfinance institutions, and mobile money operators across 6 CEMAC countries. The platform integrates core products including interoperable GIMAC Cards usable throughout the region, the GIMACPAY QR Code for mobile payments, and various payment services (instant payments, mobile transfers, remittance, agency banking). Supporting modules include Digibox middleware for financial institution integration, Digiconnect for microfinance institutions, and training/academy services. The ecosystem serves 123 active members and 37 million interconnected users, processing over 600 billion FCFA in transaction volumes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GIMACPAY: Convergent instant payment ecosystem for cards, mobile, and money transfers serving the CEMAC region.

Products and services

• GIMACPAY Platform The central convergent instant payment ecosystem that interconnects banks, mobile money operators, and financial institutions across CEMAC, enabling interoperability for cards, mobile wallets, QR codes, and money transfers within the region. Sold to financial institutions as the network platform.
• GIMAC Cards (Interoperable Cards) Interoperable payment cards usable at all ATMs and payment terminals throughout the CEMAC zone, issued by member banks and financial institutions for cardholders.
• GIMACPAY QR Code

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 600 billion FCFA in transaction volumes processed in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• VisacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026Strategic partnership agreement signed in April 2026 to modernize the regional financial landscape. The collaboration aims to deploy secure, interoperable, and inclusive payment solutions for institutions, businesses, and citizens. Key pillars include technological innovation through Visa's capabilities and value-added services, digitization of government and e-commerce payment flows, and extension of interoperability through the convergent GIMACPAY ecosystem.
• BEAC (Bank of Central African States)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026BEAC is the Central Bank of Central African States and the supervisory authority for GIMAC. The Governor of BEAC serves as Chairman of GIMAC's Management Committee. GIMAC operates under Regulation 02/03/UMAC/CEMAC. The BEAC validated the community QR Code for instant and secure payments across the six member states.
• Coris Bank InternationalmajorTechnology or Integration · 14 March 2026Integration project launched March 2026 for Coris Bank Gabon and Coris Bank Cameroon to join the GIMACPAY ecosystem. The kick-off meeting held at Coris Bank headquarters in Ouagadougou aims to define project scope, share technical and operational prerequisites, and establish implementation roadmap. This marks an important step in strengthening payment system interoperability in the sub-region.
• AfricaNendacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2023Partnership signed September 2023 to promote financial inclusion and digital innovation in Central Africa. AfricaNenda (a program of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors) provides technical assistance including: research on interoperability impact in CEMAC zone, technical support for QR code implementation for merchant network, infrastructure capacity evaluation and strengthening, operational procedure development, participant capacity building, and annual data sharing for SIIPS reports on inclusive instant payment systems in Africa.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Visa Direct: Visa's real-time push payments platform for cross-border money movement. Comparable in providing cross-border payment rails (and a GIMAC partner since April 2026), though operating as a global incumbent rather than regional infrastructure.
• Flutterwave: Pan-African payment infrastructure provider enabling businesses to send and receive money across African countries. Broader in scope and geography than GIMAC but comparable in connecting banks and mobile money across borders.
• Paystack: Nigeria-founded African payment gateway (now Stripe-owned) serving businesses and developers across multiple African markets. Comparable as a payment infrastructure provider, though more merchant-facing than GIMAC's B2B switch model.

Direct peers

• Network International: MEA-focused payment processor providing acquiring, processing, and switching services for banks and merchants across the Middle East and Africa. Comparable as a regional payment infrastructure provider with a similar B2B go-to-market.
• Interswitch: Largest Pan-African integrated payments and digital commerce company operating payment switching, processing, and card issuance across multiple African markets. Closely comparable as a multi-country payment switch serving banks and mobile operators.
• Cellulant: Pan-African payments platform (Tingg) connecting banks, mobile network operators, and businesses across 35+ countries. Highly comparable as a B2B interoperability infrastructure provider with similar product breadth to GIMACPAY.
• Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa): Pan-African cross-border mobile money network connecting mobile wallets, banks, and money transfer operators across 40+ African countries. Directly comparable as a B2B interoperability layer enabling cross-border payments in markets where GIMAC operates.

Emerging players

• Wave: Fast-growing mobile money operator expanding across Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and other African markets. Comparable as a regional digital payments player GIMAC met at GITEX Africa 2025 to discuss interoperability partnerships.

Regional players

• M-Pesa (Safaricom / Vodacom): East Africa's dominant mobile money platform with deep agent and merchant networks. Comparable as a regional digital payments franchise with strong network effects, though it is vertically integrated rather than operating as an interbank switch.

Others

• NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India): State-backed umbrella organization for retail payments in India (UPI, RuPay). Not a competitor, but the closest structural analogue — a central-bank-championed payment rail that built interoperable national-scale infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gimac-afr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GIMAC