{"id":15433,"date":"2026-08-31T07:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T07:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/2026\/08\/31\/how-gimac-ensures-interoperability\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T07:58:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T07:58:34","slug":"how-gimac-ensures-interoperability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/2026\/08\/31\/how-gimac-ensures-interoperability\/","title":{"rendered":"How GIMAC ensures interoperability"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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What is interoperability?<\/h2>

In the payments sector, interoperability refers to the ability of different systems (banks, mobile money, cards, applications) to communicate with each other and enable seamless transactions, regardless of the operator or institution used by the customer.<\/p>

In practical terms, this means that a user can:<\/p>

  • send money from a mobile wallet to a bank account,<\/li>
  • send money from a bank account to a mobile wallet,<\/li>
  • receive money from a mobile wallet or a bank account,<\/li>
  • pay a merchant without worrying about the bank or the terminal operator,<\/li>
  • Withdraw cash from an ATM (DAB), even when the bank card was not issued by the bank that owns the ATM.

    <\/em><\/li><\/ul>

    In the CEMAC zone, this interconnection is ensured by GIMAC.<\/p>

    GIMAC\u2019s role in interoperability<\/h2>

    The Central African Interbank Monetary Group (GIMAC) is the regional switch that ensures interconnection among the various players in the electronic payments ecosystem in Central Africa, notably banks, financial institutions, microfinance institutions, and mobile money operators, under BEAC supervision.<\/p>

    Its objective is clear: to enable payment systems to work together smoothly, securely, and in a standardized<\/strong> manner at the regional level.<\/strong><\/p>

    GIMACPAY: the technical foundation of interoperability<\/h2>

    Interoperability relies primarily on GIMACPAY, the regional card payment platform commissioned in 2020.<\/p>

    This platform serves as a central hub that:<\/p>

    • connects the systems of banks and mobile money operators,<\/li>
    • processes interbank and interoperable transactions,<\/li>
    • ensures the clearing and settlement of FCFA transactions.<\/li><\/ul>

      Thanks to GIMACPAY, a transaction can move from one system to another while complying with technical and security rules.<\/p>

      A harmonized regulatory framework<\/h2>

      Interoperability is not based solely on technology. It also relies on a common regulatory framework defined by BEAC, notably through Instruction No. 001\/GR\/2018 on defining the scope of interoperability and interbanking of card payment systems within CEMAC. <\/p>

      This framework requires:<\/p>

      • identical rules for all stakeholders,<\/li>
      • compliance and security obligations,<\/li>
      • clear requirements for integrating systems into the GIMAC network.<\/li><\/ul>

        Result: each stakeholder speaks the same regulatory language, which reduces friction and strengthens trust.<\/p>

        Common technical and security standards<\/h2>

        To ensure reliable exchanges, GIMAC requires:<\/p>

        • shared technical standards (communication protocols, message formats),<\/li>
        • transaction security mechanisms (authentication, traceability, fraud prevention),<\/li>
        • continuous oversight of card payment operations.<\/li><\/ul>

          This approach helps protect both end users and connected institutions.<\/p>

          Tangible impacts for users and businesses<\/h2>

          Interoperability ensured by GIMAC translates into tangible benefits:<\/p>

          • ease of use for customers,<\/li>
          • expanded services for banks and operators,<\/li>
          • lower transaction costs,<\/li>
          • accelerated financial inclusion in the CEMAC zone.<\/li><\/ul>

            Today, millions of bank accounts and mobile wallets can interact thanks to this regional infrastructure.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            What is interoperability? In the payments sector, interoperability refers to the ability of different systems (banks, mobile money, cards, applications) to communicate with each other and enable seamless transactions, regardless of the operator or institution used by the customer. In practical terms, this means that a user can: send money from a mobile wallet to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15432,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-news-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15433"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15434,"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15433\/revisions\/15434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gimac-afr.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}