What cross-border remittance operators may do across African markets
This rule differs from market to market. Below is each African market's published position on remittance-operator scope, as stated in the cited official instrument — the record, not a verdict. Rules, not rates — no exchange rate is recorded.
The licences these rules attach to are named differently in each market: Sociedade Prestadora de Serviços de Pagamentos (Payment service provider company) in Angola, Établissement de monnaie électronique (Electronic Money Institution) across the WAEMU union, Money Transfer Business in Somalia, Établissement de paiement (Payment institution) in Tunisia, plus 9 more named by the rules on this page. Where a rule is set at union level it appears once: the CEMAC (Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale) rule applies in all 6 member states, the WAEMU (UMOA/UEMOA) rule in all 8. The licences these rules attach to are also known as money transfer or MTO/IMTO.
The comparable axis is the normalized facet remittance-operator scope — which makes each market's rule comparable on one table, market to market, without flattening the differences between them.
Facet id (as used by the Afriset MCP): xborder:REMITTANCE_OPERATOR_SCOPE
The record, market by market
| Market | The record | Source | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | Outbound money remittances from Angola are capped at USD 5,000 per month per sender (SPSPs and remittance-authorized casas de câmbio may send outbound); inbound remittances are not subject to regulatory limits. The Angola contrast: WAEMU and CEMAC payment establishments are inbound-only, while an Angolan SPSP may send outbound within the cap. (USD 5,000 per month per sender (outbound); inbound uncapped) Verbatim"As remessas de valores de Angola para o exterior estão limitadas a USD 5.000,00 (cinco mil Dólares dos Estados Unidos da América) ou o equivalente noutra moeda estrangeira, por mês, por ordenador. 1.2 As remessas recebidas do exterior do país não estão sujeitas a limites regulamentares." | Instrutivo n.º 06/2022, de 24 de Junho — Limites de Venda de Moeda Estrangeira Aplicáveis às Sociedades Prestadoras do Serviço de Pagamentos e Casas de Câmbio (issued under Lei n.º 05/97) | 2022-06-24 |
| Burundi | An établissement de paiement de transmission de fonds à l'international is capped on OUTBOUND transfers at USD 3,000 per person per day and USD 10,000 per person per month; there is no maximum limit on inbound flows (the inbound-open remittance-operator scope — the AO/CEMAC contrast). Circulaire n° 007/SP, art. 8. Verbatim"la limite maximale des transactions par personne et par jour: Trois mille dollars américains (USD 3.000); la limite maximale de transactions par personne et par mois: Dix mille dollars américains (USD 10.000). Il n'y a pas de limites maximales de montants pour les flux entrants." | Banque de la République du Burundi — Circulaire n° 007/SP relative aux établissements de paiement de transmission de fonds à l'international — art. 8 (outbound transaction limits) | 2024 |
| Ethiopia | Inbound international remittance to Ethiopia may be provided only by banks and other Authorized Remittance Service Representatives acting in association with licensed International Remittance Service Providers. Verbatim"Banks and other Authorized Remittance Service Representatives are eligible to provide remittance service in association with International Remittance Service Providers." | Foreign Exchange Directive No. FXD/01/2024 (consolidated FX frame; Art. 25.2.1 repeals all prior FX directives/circulars) | 2024-07-29 |
| Ghana | A registered IMTO is restricted to inbound remittance only; outbound international money transfer is expressly non-permissible. Verbatim"A registered IMTO shall not… engage in any outbound international money transfer transactions." | BoG Notice No. BG/GOV/SEC/2025/25 — Updated Guidelines for Inward Remittance Services by Payment Service Providers (UGIR 2025) | 2025-08-25 |
| Morocco | Family-support transfers to relatives abroad may also be settled by wire through payment institutions licensed by Bank Al-Maghrib — a licensed payment institution is a named lawful channel for these outbound personal transfers. Verbatim"Le règlement au titre des secours familiaux peut également être réalisé par virement par les établissements de paiement agréés par Bank Al Maghrib." | Instruction Générale des Opérations de Change 2026 (IGOC 2026) — the consolidated FX rulebook, Office des Changes | 2026-01-01 |
| Nigeria | Licensed International Money Transfer Operators may conduct inbound international transfers only; an IMTO may not engage in any outbound transaction. Verbatim"The permissible activities of International Money Transfer Operators shall include inbound international money transfer transactions only." | CBN, Guidelines on International Money Transfer Services in Nigeria (Revised — January 2024) | 2024-01 |
| Sierra Leone | A mobile money operator in Sierra Leone may not send international OUTWARD remittances via mobile money without the Bank of Sierra Leone's approval — outbound cross-border remittance is a prohibited activity absent BSL approval, while the disbursement of inward foreign remittances is an enumerated permissible service (Guidelines for Mobile Money Services §28; the inbound-only regime, the WAEMU/CEMAC/TN class). Verbatim"The Mobile Financial Services Provider shall not unless with the approval of BSL" | Bank of Sierra Leone — Guidelines for Mobile Money Services (2015), §28 « PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES » (international outward remittances prohibited absent BSL approval) + the permissible-services list (disbursement of inward foreign remittances) | not dated |
| Somalia | A mobile money service provider may offer cross-border remittances only in partnership with a Central-Bank-of-Somalia-authorized financial institution — it may not move money across borders on its own account (Mobile Money Regulations 2020, reg 18(1)(f)). Verbatim"international remittances in partnership with financial institutions authorized by the Central Bank" | Central Bank of Somalia — Mobile Money Regulations, 2020 (amended 2021), reg 18(1)(f) (a mobile money service provider may offer international remittances only in partnership with financial institutions authorized by the Central Bank) | 2020 |
| Tunisia | An établissement de paiement's cross-border reach is inbound only: it may receive funds transfers coming from abroad by wire and make them available to its customers, and only after obtaining intermédiaire-agréé status under the exchange-control regulation — there is no outbound cross-border payment service. The third inbound-only fintech regime (alongside WAEMU and CEMAC; the AO regime, by contrast, permits a capped outbound remittance). Circulaire n° 2018-16, art. 4. Verbatim"Les établissements de paiement peuvent effectuer les opérations de réception de fonds en provenance de l'étranger par voie de virement, et leur mise à disposition au profit de leur clientèle après avoir obtenu la qualité d'intermédiaire agréé conformément à la réglementation des changes en vigueur." | Banque Centrale de Tunisie — Circulaire n° 2018-16 du 31 décembre 2018, art. 4 (an établissement de paiement may receive inbound funds transfers from abroad and make them available to its customers only after obtaining intermédiaire-agréé status under the exchange-control regulation) | 2018-12-31 |
| CEMAC Crossing the union border CameroonCentral African RepublicChadCongo-BrazzavilleEquatorial GuineaGabon | Payment institutions' services are confined to the interior of the CEMAC; they may receive funds transferred from outside the CEMAC but are not authorized to emit payments abroad (inbound-only) — the CEMAC twin of WAEMU's EME/EP inbound-only rule. Verbatim"Les services effectués par les établissements de paiement, sont circonscrits à l'intérieur de la CEMAC. Les établissements de paiement peuvent recevoir, pour leur compte ou pour le compte de leurs clients, des fonds transférés depuis l'extérieur de la CEMAC." | Règlement n°04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC du 21 décembre 2018 relatif aux services de paiement dans la CEMAC — 95 articles (the EP framework) | 2018-12-21 |
| WAEMU Crossing the union border BeninBurkina FasoCôte d'IvoireGuinea-BissauMaliNigerSenegalTogo | Electronic-money institutions and payment institutions may receive funds from outside the union but are not authorized to emit payments abroad (inbound-only). Verbatim"les établissements de monnaie électronique et les établissements de paiement, notamment en matière de réception de fonds en provenance d'un Etat non membre de l'UMOA. Ces entités ne sont pas habilitées à émettre des paiements sur l'étranger." | Règlement n°06/2024/CM/UEMOA relatif aux relations financières extérieures des Etats membres de l'UEMOA — 36 articles; adopted Bamako 2024-12-20 (Adama COULIBALY, Pres. Conseil des Ministres); Art. 35 abrogates Règlement 09/2010; Art. 36 in force at signature | 2024-12-20 |
The record as published in each cited instrument, as of its source date — not legal or compliance advice. The record can change — a new rule can appear or an existing one lift — so verify current status with the regulator. Rules, not rates: no exchange rate is recorded here.
Maintained: this official source is re-checked on a weekly schedule — last checked 2026-08-04.
Related
Cross-border rules by market