Banking sector in WAMU: Benin consolidates its assets and surpasses the regional average in granting credit

With this performance, the country concentrates 9.2% of the Union’s total assets and maintains its 5th regional position, behind Côte d’Ivoire (31,198.6 billion FCFA), Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mali.

At the community level, the overall balance sheet of credit institutions reached 82,298.8 billion FCFA (+14.1%). The Beninese dynamic is particularly notable for the strength of the granting of credit to customers, up 8.3% on the national territory, thus exceeding the overall average for the UMOA zone set at 5.5%.

At the regional level, the volume of credits granted peaks at 38,731.6 billion FCFA, driven by rapidly expanding deposits and borrowings (+16%, or 56,200.2 billion FCFA).

Increased profitability and solid solvency indicators

The financial health of the sector remains strong. The net profit of Beninese banks stands at 95.1 billion FCFA in 2025, contributing to the 1,252.1 billion FCFA in net profits recorded at the Union level (+25.5%). The strength of the balance sheets is also illustrated by the average solvency ratio of Beninese establishments, which amounts to 17.4%, surpassing the WAMU average (15.6%).

The national banking landscape includes 14 banks and one financial institution of a banking nature. If the system displays satisfactory resistance indicators, the main challenge now lies in channeling these financial resources towards the local economic fabric, in particular by facilitating the financing of SMEs and project leaders.