Financial-service usage in Niger rose from 17.4% of adults in 2024 to 26.2% in 2025, according to an annual report released by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) on 26 October 2026. The bank calculates an increase of 8.7 percentage points, the largest improvement in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), although Niger still has the bloc’s lowest inclusion rate.
The BCEAO links the improvement to closer cooperation between banks and electronic-money issuers. Services that let customers move funds between mobile wallets and bank accounts expanded during the year, alongside increased use of electronic money in Niger.
The gap with the rest of WAEMU remains substantial. The regional financial-inclusion rate stood at 76.1% in 2025, almost 50 percentage points above Niger’s level. Mali, the second-lowest country, recorded 61.9%, while Benin led the bloc at 92.8%. The overall indicator measures adults’ use of financial services, including banking, microfinance and electronic money.
Bank account access improves as well
Niger’s narrower banking measures also improved, albeit from lower levels. Its strict banking penetration rate rose from 8.9% in 2024 to 11.3% in 2025. The broader measure, which also covers microfinance services, climbed from 15.4% to 21.3% over the same period.
Part of the wider financial-services landscape is a growing network of payment agents. In a review published in March 2026, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) said it had supported Zamani Telecom in Niger with a $225,000 grant. Between 2022 and 2025, the programme helped recruit and train more than 11,500 financial-service agents, including in rural communities.
UNCDF reported that more than 266,000 Zamani Cash accounts had been opened through these kiosks, with over 27,000 active when it published its review. It described a network offering deposits, withdrawals and transfers while highlighting infrastructure limitations and a lack of trust that continue to hamper the use of digital payments.