IFC is partnering with Cashi to expand digital payment infrastructure in Africa and Chad

A partnership has been announced between the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Cashi, a fintech company focused on developing digital payment infrastructure in Africa, including Chad, through interoperable solutions designed for areas with limited internet access.

Cashi offers a digital payment platform that enables users and businesses to send and receive money via mobile phones, point-of-sale devices, and SMS-based tools. The platform connects users with banks, telecommunications operators, and other financial institutions within a single, interoperable ecosystem, facilitating everyday transactions in an economy where cash remains dominant and access to formal financial services is limited.

For small businesses, this means fewer constraints on cash handling, lower transaction costs, and better access to financial services, enabling them to increase revenue and support job creation. In Chad, only about 10–15 percent of adults have a bank account or a mobile payment account, while across Sub-Saharan Africa, that figure is over 30 percent.

“IFC’s early-stage support allows us to adapt our proven, crisis-tested platform to the realities of Central Africa. Through this partnership, we can work closely with regulators and ecosystem partners, build trust among local entrepreneurs, and provide practical financial tools that people can use every day, even in areas with poor network coverage.” – Tarneem Saeed, CEO, Cashi “Expanding access to digital financial services through innovative, tailored solutions is critical in markets where smartphone penetration is low. This project underscores IFC’s commitment to supporting accessible, low-tech, and resilient architectural solutions that increase access to financing for individuals and businesses across the broader Sahel region.” – Olivier Buyoya, IFC’s West Africa Country Director

“IFC’s early-stage support allows us to adapt our tried-and-tested platform to the realities of Central Africa. Through this partnership, we can work closely with regulators and industry partners, build trust among local entrepreneurs, and provide practical financial tools that people can use every day, even in areas with poor connectivity.”

– Tarneem Saeed, CEO, Cashi

“Expanding access to digital financial services through innovative, tailored solutions is critical in markets where smartphone penetration is low. This project underscores IFC’s commitment to supporting affordable, low-tech, and resilient infrastructure solutions that, more broadly, increase access to finance for individuals and businesses in the Sahel region.”

– Olivier Buyoya, Director of the West Africa Division at the IFC

This partnership is part of the government’s “Tchad Connexion 2030” development program, which identifies digitalization and financial inclusion as key drivers of economic diversification, increased tax revenue, and private sector development in Chad. More broadly, this partnership reflects IFC’s growing engagement in the Sahel region, where the organization focuses on financial services, agribusiness, digital connectivity, and climate resilience.