PARTNERSHIP : Afriland First Bank teams up with Visa to accelerate digital payments
La voix des entreprises 
Exchange of signed documents between Hervé Ayissi, Deputy CEO of Afriland First Bank, and Inès Amani, Visa’s CEMAC Regional Director.
(LVDE) — The digital transformation of Cameroon’s banking sector has reached a new milestone. On March 11, 2026, in Yaoundé, Afriland First Bank and the American electronic payments giant Visa signed a three-year strategic agreement aimed at expanding digital payment solutions. The initiative seeks to modernize financial services, facilitate electronic transactions, and strengthen financial inclusion in a country where cash still overwhelmingly dominates everyday payments.
In a context marked by the rapid rise of financial technologies across Africa, Afriland First Bank Cameroon is reinforcing its digitalization strategy by partnering with the international group Visa. The agreement, signed at the First Bank House in Yaoundé, marks a new phase in the cooperation between the two institutions, which have already collaborated for several years on the development of electronic payment solutions.
The official ceremony was attended by executives from both organizations, institutional partners, and representatives of the financial sector. Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Afriland First Bank Cameroon, Hervé Dieudonné Ayissi, recalled that the collaboration with Visa forms part of a gradual effort to modernize payment systems in Cameroon. According to him, the partnership has already made it possible to deploy reliable and secure solutions on the local market, responding to the growing demand from individuals and businesses for faster and more accessible financial services.
The new agreement is expected to deepen this technological cooperation by expanding the range of services offered to customers. The two institutions notably plan to promote the use of bank cards, strengthen electronic payment solutions, and develop digital tools tailored to the needs of individuals, businesses, and public administrations.
For Visa, the partnership forms part of a broader strategy aimed at consolidating its presence in African markets, where the digitalization of financial services is progressing rapidly. According to Inès Amani, Country Manager of Visa Cameroon, digital payments now play a crucial role in simplifying transactions and securing financial operations. She noted that only a few years ago, making a payment or sending money often required lengthy and cumbersome procedures. Today, thanks to technological innovation, these operations can be completed in just seconds using a bank card or a mobile phone.
Despite these advances, Cameroon’s economy remains largely dominated by cash transactions. According to figures mentioned during the signing ceremony, the country’s strict banking penetration rate stands at around 20%. When microfinance institutions and mobile money services are included, overall access to financial services reaches approximately 45% of the population.
Payment habits, however, remain strongly tied to the use of cash. Experts estimate that 90 to 95% of daily transactions are still carried out in cash, particularly in markets, neighborhood shops, transportation services, and informal activities. Even though some large companies and public administrations have launched dematerialization initiatives, cash payments are still believed to account for more than 80% of the total value of transactions in the country.
This dominance of cash is partly explained by the importance of the informal sector, which is estimated to represent nearly 70% of Cameroon’s gross domestic product according to several economic assessments. In such an environment, the lack of traceability of financial flows represents a major challenge for banks, as it limits savings mobilization and complicates access to financing for many economic actors.
For Afriland First Bank, accelerating the adoption of digital payments therefore appears to be a strategic lever to modernize the economy and improve financial inclusion. By promoting the use of secure digital tools, financial institutions hope to strengthen transaction transparency, facilitate access to banking services, and support the financing of businesses.
Ultimately, this partnership with Visa could gradually transform payment habits in Cameroon and support the country’s integration into the broader continental trend of financial services digitalization.
Tressy Chouente
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