Rawbank, the largest bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and global payments company Visa on Dec. 16 renewed their partnership for a further five years, the two groups said in a joint statement issued in Kinshasa.

The agreement marks a new phase in a collaboration that began more than 15 years ago. Under the renewed partnership, the two companies plan to expand payment and financial management solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises, including expense management tools designed to improve SMEs’ financial management. The agreement also covers the rollout of tailored products for affluent clients and the expansion of cross-border payment solutions to support international trade.

On the merchant side, Rawbank and Visa plan to broaden payment acceptance options, including physical point-of-sale terminals, online payment solutions and remote payment tools. The move is aimed at supporting the growth of e-commerce and strengthening transaction security.

The partners also plan to launch companion cards and virtual cards in collaboration with telecommunications operators, to meet growing mobile usage and offer greater flexibility to individuals and businesses.

In addition, the two companies announced joint initiatives to promote financial inclusion, including the Visa Academia Card and future programmes targeting young people, women and entrepreneurs. These initiatives will focus on financial education and improving access to formal banking services.

Rawbank also plans to promote payment tokenization in the DRC, a technology designed to enhance transaction security and encourage the adoption of innovative digital payment solutions. The bank said the initiative reflects a shared objective to strengthen trust in digital payments and support the transition toward a more connected economy.

Mustafa Rawji, chief executive officer of Rawbank, said the partnership aims to broaden the range of modern and secure payment solutions tailored to the needs of Congolese consumers and businesses.

Sophie Kafuti, Visa’s country manager for the DRC, said the agreement seeks to support the modernization of payment acceptance, the expansion of e-commerce and the rollout of mobile solutions, with the goal of widening access to digital financial services and strengthening financial inclusion.

Ronsard Luabeya

Rawbank, première banque de la République démocratique du Congo, et Visa, leader mondial des paiements numériques, ont renouvelé, le 16 décembre 2025 à Kinshasa, leur partenariat pour une durée de cinq ans. Selon un communiqué conjoint, « cet accord marque l’ouverture d’un nouveau cycle d’une collaboration engagée il y a plus de quinze ans ».

Dans ce nouveau cycle, Rawbank et Visa envisagent de renforcer le développement de solutions destinées aux petites et moyennes entreprises, notamment à travers des outils de gestion des dépenses visant à améliorer la structuration financière des PME. L’accord prévoit également le déploiement d’offres dédiées à la clientèle aisée, ainsi que le renforcement des solutions de paiements transfrontaliers « cross-border » pour accompagner la croissance des échanges internationaux.

Sur le segment des marchands, les deux partenaires prévoient l’extension des solutions d’acceptation, incluant les terminaux de paiement physiques, les solutions en ligne et les outils de paiement à distance. Cette stratégie vise à soutenir le développement du commerce électronique et à renforcer la sécurisation des transactions.

Rawbank et Visa travaillent également au lancement de Companion Cards et de cartes virtuelles, développées avec les opérateurs de télécommunications, afin de répondre à l’essor des usages mobiles et d’offrir davantage de flexibilité aux particuliers comme aux entreprises.

Des initiatives conjointes en matière d’inclusion financière sont aussi annoncées, notamment à travers la Visa Academia Card et de futurs programmes ciblant les jeunes, les femmes et les entrepreneurs. Ces actions mettront l’accent sur l’éducation financière et l’accès aux services bancaires formels.

Rawbank prévoit par ailleurs de promouvoir la tokenisation des paiements en RDC, une technologie destinée à renforcer la sécurité des transactions et à encourager l’adoption de solutions innovantes. Selon la banque, cette démarche s’inscrit dans la volonté commune de « renforcer la confiance dans les paiements digitaux et de soutenir l’évolution vers une économie plus connectée ».

Selon Mustafa Rawji, directeur général de Rawbank, cette collaboration s’inscrit dans la volonté d’élargir l’offre de solutions de paiement modernes, sécurisées et adaptées aux besoins des consommateurs et des entreprises congolaises. De son côté, Sophie Kafuti, directrice générale de Visa en RDC, souligne que le partenariat vise à soutenir la modernisation de l’acceptation des paiements, le développement du commerce électronique et le déploiement de solutions mobiles, dans l’objectif d’élargir l’accès aux services financiers numériques et de renforcer l’inclusion financière.

Ronsard Luabeya

The Congo Entrepreneurship Guarantee Fund (Fonds de Garantie de l’Entrepreneuriat au Congo, FOGEC) signed a memorandum of understanding with microfinance institution Bisou-Bisou on Dec. 9, 2025, aimed at facilitating access to credit for members of the National Network of Rural Women’s Associations (RENAFER).

Under the agreement, the two parties plan to set up a guarantee product known as “Kolisa Libenga”, designed to make it easier for rural women to access loans provided by Bisou-Bisou.

FOGEC Director General Laurent Munzemba said the fund intends to allocate more than $2 million to the project. The guarantee mechanism is expected to enable RENAFER members to obtain individual loans of up to $5,000 from Bisou-Bisou. No timeline has yet been announced for the signing of a final agreement or the launch of the scheme.

FOGEC said the partnership reflects its strategy of expanding access to finance beyond the traditional banking system and supporting economic participants often excluded from conventional financing channels, particularly those operating in the informal sector. Munzemba added that the fund plans to scale up similar partnerships to reach other categories of entrepreneurs in both urban and rural areas.

RENAFER, the programme’s beneficiary, is a non-governmental development organisation established in February 2020. According to information published on its website, it serves as a national platform for information and training for rural women, with a focus on sustainable agriculture, addressing constraints on production and promoting financial empowerment. The network says it has a presence in 12 of the country’s 26 provinces, including Kinshasa, Kongo Central, Equateur, Maniema, South Kivu, North Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Katanga, Kasai Central, Kasai Oriental, Kwilu and Lualaba.

By contrast, Bisou-Bisou, FOGEC’s operational partner in the programme, appears to operate mainly in Kinshasa and surrounding areas, based on publicly available information. This raises questions about how RENAFER members in other provinces will be able to effectively access the scheme.

However, during the presentation of its Pillar 3 report for the 2024 financial year in May 2025, Bisou-Bisou said it had entered into a partnership with Vodacash, the fintech arm of Vodacom that operates the M-Pesa mobile money service. The partnership aims to expand the institution’s nationwide reach while keeping operating costs under control. Bisou-Bisou cited these costs as one of the factors behind its net loss of 607.2 million Congolese francs in 2024, equivalent to about $213,000 at the average exchange rate for the year.

Timothée Manoke

The Council of Ministers adopted a draft ordinance establishing the Support and Development Fund for the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FSD-FARDC) at its 70th ordinary meeting on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.

Presented by Guy Kabombo Mwadiamvita, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence and Veterans, the text sets out the structure and operating framework of the new financing mechanism for military programming, against a security backdrop marked by persistent armed conflict, particularly in the country’s east.

Under the ordinance, the FSD-FARDC’s primary mandate will be to finance military programmes by mobilising resources linked to the “war effort”. These will include contributions from the central government, provinces, decentralised territorial entities, public and private companies, as well as donors, partners and other individuals or legal entities under public or private law.

The fund will also be tasked with negotiating levies on certain revenue-generating activities of the central government related to national defence. It will oversee the monitoring and collection of resources allocated to the defence sector and play a role in determining contributions предусмотрed in partnership agreements. The framework also includes public awareness efforts aimed at mobilising all segments of society around the war effort.

The initiative builds on measures taken by the authorities since the start of 2025 to strengthen material and financial support for the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC). In the first months of the year, the head of state called for a nationwide mobilisation around the war effort and urged the government to rationalise certain public expenditures in order to create additional fiscal space for defence.

The creation of the FSD-FARDC comes as the security situation in eastern DRC continues to deteriorate, weighing on public finances by reducing revenue and increasing security spending at the expense of other priorities, including salary payments. In response to renewed offensives by AFC/M23 rebels and ongoing instability, the authorities have stepped up measures to reinforce the defence effort, notably by requesting an advance on budget support from the International Monetary Fund and adjusting revenue and expenditure policies to contain the conflict-related budget deficit.

At the end of November, the Council of the European Union approved a 10 million euro ($11.52 million at the current exchange rate) assistance package for the FARDC under the European Peace Facility. The support is intended to supply non-lethal military equipment tailored to the operational needs of the Congolese armed forces.

The government says the operationalisation of the FSD-FARDC is intended to provide the armed forces with equipment suited to current and emerging threats, while strengthening their functional and operational capabilities.

Boaz Kabeya

The Central Bank of the Congo (BCC) launched a review of its register of non-bank financial intermediaries operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo in early December 2025, according to a series of notices published on its official channels.

In a notice dated Dec. 5, 2025, signed by First Vice-Governor Dieudonné Fikiri Alimasi, the central bank announced the removal of an entity known as Force-Unie Sarl from the list of authorised financial messaging services operating in the country.

Under Congolese law, a financial messaging service refers to a non-bank company that provides domestic or international money transfer services. Well-known operators in the sector include Western Union and MoneyGram.

The BCC did not disclose the reasons for the decision. It said the measure was taken pursuant to Articles 58 and 59 of Administrative Instruction No. 006, Amendment No. 2 of July 26, 2023, which regulates financial messaging services. Article 58 provides that such sanctions may be imposed in cases of serious or repeated breaches of legal obligations, money laundering, fraud, threats to public order, or insolvency.

Days earlier, in a notice dated Dec. 3, 2025, the First Vice-Governor had urged 50 financial messaging services to regularise their administrative status with the Financial Intermediaries Supervision Directorate by Dec. 18, 2025. Failure to comply would result in the withdrawal of their licences, removal from the official register, and dissolution.

A separate notice dated Dec. 4, 2025, targeted foreign exchange bureaus. In that document, 62 exchange bureaus were instructed to report to the same supervisory directorate to regularise their administrative situation by Dec. 19, 2025, or face licence withdrawal.

Taken together, the notices point to widespread non-compliance in the non-bank financial intermediaries sector. According to data published on the BCC’s website, 82 financial messaging services and 114 exchange bureaus are officially registered. The fact that 50 messaging services and 62 exchange bureaus were summoned to regularise their status suggests that more than half of the entities concerned may be operating irregularly, underscoring the scale of regulatory shortcomings and the urgency of the enforcement drive launched by the central bank.

The review forms part of a broader effort to tighten discipline in the foreign exchange market. The BCC has stepped up enforcement after identifying practices it considers incompatible with market rules, including the display of speculative exchange rates, excessively wide spreads between buying and selling rates, and various forms of market manipulation. These practices are prohibited under Administrative Instruction No. 007, Amendment No. 3 of 2023, which governs foreign exchange activities.

In a notice published on Oct. 13, 2025, the central bank reminded manual money changers of their obligation to comply with existing regulations. It also announced the deployment of on-site inspections and the introduction of disciplinary measures, including licence withdrawals, against exchange bureaus and manual money changers found to be in breach of foreign exchange market rules.

Timothée Manoke

The Federation of Businesses of the Congo (FEC) is challenging the legality of levies imposed by the National Road Safety Commission (CNPR) on goods transport vehicles in the provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba.

In a letter dated Dec. 11, 2025, addressed to Jean-Pierre Bemba, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Transport, the employers’ organisation said that what it described as unauthorised charges and harassment of economic operators were continuing. It called on the Deputy Prime Minister to intervene to bring these levies to an end.

The FEC said the CNPR is collecting fees linked to the identification of vehicles, individuals and transported goods, despite the fact that its founding statutes do not explicitly give it the authority to do so. According to the organisation, these practices directly affect companies operating in the transport, mining, agro-industrial and beverage sectors by raising logistics costs and worsening the business environment.

The FEC recalled that consultations held in May 2025 had recommended abolishing certain charges deemed to be non-compliant. However, it said the levies have not only been maintained but have intensified.

The CNPR has also introduced a new fee known as “loading surveillance,” set at $25 per trip per vehicle, intended to cover the presence of its agents during loading operations at company sites. These costs are compounded by other charges that can reach $100 per container, as well as ad-hoc fines in the event of an accident.

Based on FEC estimates, a company producing around 18,000 tonnes of copper could face annual costs of up to $950,000 from the loading surveillance fee alone, excluding container-related charges and any potential fines.

The organisation also said the CNPR is acting on behalf of both the central government and the provinces, and in some cases on its own behalf, notably on the basis of a ministerial decree dated July 30, 2020, the legality of which is being challenged by economic operators. According to the FEC, these practices contravene several legal provisions currently in force.

The CNPR is a specialised technical body under the Ministry of Transport, created by ministerial decree on Dec. 18, 2006, with a nationwide mandate. Its role is to propose a coordinated road safety policy to the government and to oversee sectoral studies and initiatives aimed at improving safety on the national road network. The commission is headquartered in Kinshasa and operates through provincial directorates across the country.

Ronsard Luabeya

Réuni le vendredi 12 décembre 2025, à l’occasion de sa soixante-dixième réunion ordinaire, le Conseil des ministres a adopté un projet d’ordonnance instituant le Fonds de soutien et de développement des forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FSD-FARDC). Présenté par le vice-Premier ministre, ministre de la Défense nationale et des Anciens combattants, Guy Kabombo Mwadiamvita, ce texte fixe l’organisation et le fonctionnement de ce nouvel instrument de financement de la programmation militaire dans un contexte sécuritaire marqué par la persistance des conflits armés, en particulier dans l’est du pays.

Selon le texte adopté, le FSD-FARDC aura pour mission principale de financer la programmation militaire, en mobilisant des ressources issues de l’« effort de guerre ». Celui-ci inclut les contributions du pouvoir central, des provinces, des entités territoriales décentralisées, des entreprises publiques et privées, ainsi que des bailleurs de fonds, partenaires et autres personnes physiques ou morales de droit public ou privé.

Le fonds sera également chargé de négocier des quotités à prélever sur certains actes générateurs de recettes du pouvoir central en lien avec la défense nationale, d’assurer le suivi et la collecte des fonds affectés au secteur de la défense, et d’intervenir dans la détermination des contributions prévues dans les contrats de partenariat. Une dimension de sensibilisation de l’ensemble des couches sociales à l’effort de guerre est également intégrée au dispositif.

Cette initiative s’inscrit dans la continuité des démarches engagées par les autorités depuis le début de l’année 2025 pour renforcer le soutien matériel et financier aux FARDC. Dès les premiers mois de l’année, le chef de l’État avait appelé à une mobilisation nationale autour de l’effort de guerre, invitant le gouvernement à rationaliser certaines dépenses publiques afin de dégager des marges budgétaires supplémentaires au profit de la défense.

La création du FSD-FARDC intervient dans un contexte de détérioration de la situation sécuritaire dans l’est de la RDC, qui pèse sur les finances publiques en affectant les recettes et en alourdissant les dépenses de sécurité, au détriment d’autres priorités, y compris le paiement des salaires. Face aux offensives des rebelles de l’AFC/M23 et à l’instabilité persistante, les autorités avaient engagé des mesures pour renforcer l’effort de défense, notamment en sollicitant une avance sur le soutien budgétaire du FMI et en ajustant les politiques de recettes et de dépenses afin de contenir le déficit budgétaire lié au conflit.

Le Conseil de l’Union européenne a également adopté, fin novembre, une mesure d’assistance de 10 millions d’euros (11,52 millions de dollars au cours actuel) en faveur des Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC), au titre de la Facilité européenne pour la paix (FEP). Cette enveloppe vise à fournir du matériel militaire non létal répondant aux besoins opérationnels des forces congolaises.

L’opérationnalisation du FSD-FARDC est présentée par le gouvernement comme un levier destiné à doter les Forces armées d’équipements adaptés aux menaces actuelles et futures, tout en renforçant leurs capacités fonctionnelles et opérationnelles.

Boaz Kabeya

Lire aussi :

Conflit à l’est : après Uvira, le risque d’un glissement vers le sud minier se précise 

Conflit à l’est de la RDC : les secteurs public et privé invités à l’effort de guerre

Conflit à l’est de la RDC : l’utilisation des fonds du FMI pour l’effort de guerre envisagée

UE : 10 millions € pour appuyer les capacités militaires des FARDC

La Fédération des entreprises du Congo (FEC) remet en cause la légalité des prélèvements effectués par la Commission nationale de prévention routière (CNPR) sur les véhicules de transport de marchandises dans les provinces du Haut-Katanga et du Lualaba. Dans une correspondance datée du 11 décembre 2025 et adressée à Jean-Pierre Bemba, vice-Premier ministre en charge des Transports, l’organisation patronale dénonce la persistance de perceptions qu’elle qualifie d’« irrégulières, ainsi que des tracasseries » à l’encontre des opérateurs économiques. Elle sollicite l’intervention du vice-Premier ministre afin de mettre fin à ces prélèvements.

La FEC affirme que la CNPR perçoit des redevances liées à l’identification des véhicules, des personnes et des marchandises transportées, alors que ses textes organiques ne lui attribuent pas explicitement cette compétence. Selon l’organisation patronale, ces pratiques affectent directement les entreprises actives dans les secteurs des transports, des mines, de l’agro-industrie ou encore des boissons, en alourdissant les coûts logistiques et en détériorant le climat des affaires.

La FEC rappelle que des concertations tenues en mai 2025 avaient recommandé la suppression de certaines perceptions jugées non conformes. Pourtant, les prélèvements se seraient non seulement maintenus, mais également intensifiés. La CNPR aurait ainsi instauré une nouvelle redevance dite de « surveillance de chargement », fixée à 25 dollars par course et par véhicule, destinée à couvrir la présence de ses agents lors des opérations de chargement au sein des entreprises. À ces frais s’ajoutent d’autres redevances pouvant atteindre 100 dollars par conteneur, ainsi que des amendes transactionnelles en cas d’accident.

Selon les estimations avancées par la FEC, une entreprise produisant environ 18 000 tonnes de cuivre pourrait supporter jusqu’à 950 000 dollars par an au titre de cette seule redevance de surveillance, hors frais liés aux conteneurs et aux éventuelles amendes.

L’organisation patronale indique également que la CNPR agirait tant pour le compte du gouvernement central que des provinces, voire pour son propre compte, en se fondant notamment sur un arrêté ministériel du 30 juillet 2020, dont la légalité est contestée par les opérateurs économiques. La FEC estime que ces pratiques seraient contraires à plusieurs dispositions légales en vigueur.

La CNPR est un service technique spécialisé du ministère des Transports, créé par arrêté ministériel du 18 décembre 2006, et dont les activités couvrent l’ensemble du territoire national. Sa mission consiste à proposer au gouvernement une politique concertée de prévention routière et à coordonner les études et actions sectorielles visant à améliorer la sécurité sur le réseau routier national. La commission a son siège à Kinshasa et dispose de directions provinciales pour mener ses activités dans tout le pays.

Ronsard Luabeya

The Swiss group Mole, which specializes in agricultural commodity trading, launched a preparatory phase on Dec. 11, 2025, to secure land for the construction of the Mbanza-Ngungu agro-industrial park in Kongo Central. The project spans more than 105,000 hectares, including 85,000 hectares of arable land, and represents an estimated investment of $1 billion.

For the developers, land acquisition is the most sensitive stage of the project. Although the Democratic Republic of Congo has more than 80 million hectares of arable land, less than 10% of which is currently exploited, access to land remains one of the main constraints on agro-industrial development. Key challenges include an unreliable land registry, customary and community disputes, legal inconsistencies, risks of land grabbing, lengthy and costly procedures, and weak institutional governance.

A launch meeting attended by customary authorities, civil society representatives, and technical and financial partners was held to inform local communities, particularly land rights holders, about the process. During the meeting, the Swiss group sought to reassure stakeholders. “No land will be used without the approval of its owner,” a company representative said.

Rights holders will be asked to sign a letter of commitment defining a non-binding framework for cooperation. The document authorizes technical studies, mapping, and land inventories, while guaranteeing communities the right to retain control over land-use decisions until a final sales contract is signed. The process also includes the establishment of a grievance management committee, negotiations on acquisition terms, and the eventual signing of a contract.

Mole Group has also committed to relocating people currently living on the site to new residential areas, integrating them into partner agricultural cooperatives, and granting them priority access to employment opportunities. “The aim is to ensure that everyone is fairly compensated and can benefit from the project’s returns,” said CEO Gandi Mole.

Under the public-private partnership agreement signed last October with the Ministry of Agriculture, land constitutes part of the state’s contribution to the project. “But to avoid any conflict, we wanted to proceed differently by involving local communities from the outset,” a source within the Swiss company said. The developers aim to secure 80% of the required land within six to eight months, a move intended to facilitate the government’s role in the process.

Once fully operational, the agro-industrial park is expected to produce 700,000 tonnes of finished products annually, including cassava, maize, and wheat flours, as well as sugar and rice. The project is projected to generate more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.

In addition to state support, the project is backed by international partners, notably Switzerland-based Bühler, which specializes in agri-food equipment and advanced materials, and Belgium’s De Smet Engineers & Contractors, known for its expertise in delivering turnkey agro-industrial plants.

Ronsard Luabeya

Democratic Republic of Congo's Hydropower Minister Aimé Sakombi Molendo outlined plans to electrify the southwestern Kwango province, as the government faces public pressure to deliver on energy promises.

The minister presented the national electricity policy to the Senate on Dec. 14, the ministry said in a post on X. The strategy focuses on new hydropower infrastructure. The plan includes drawing power from the Bukangalonzo substation to supply the city of Kenge. It also involves building the 63 MW Mafiji hydropower plant to serve several territories, with technical studies currently underway, the ministry said.

A 3-5 MW hydropower plant at Kingambo is planned to electrify Feshi territory. For Popokabaka, a local project will install a 300 kWp solar mini-plant. Molendo cited ongoing projects, including a separate 300 kWp solar mini-plant and distribution network for Kasongo-Lunda territory. The National Agency for Electrification and Energy Services in Rural and Peri-Urban Areas (ANSER) is implementing the project, which is 90% complete with some equipment already on site.

However, local media have reported that work has been stalled for months. Residents of Kasongo-Lunda protested on Dec. 1 to demand its resumption. The minister also announced a project supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for a 500 kWp solar mini-plant to power Kenge General Hospital and nearby households. Work is set to begin in early 2026 following a memorandum of understanding between the ministry and KOICA.

Ronsard Luabeya