By:
Kanto Kai Okanta
The
Chief Executive Officer of Vodacom Congo (RDC), Khalil F. Al Americani, has
called for stronger collaboration between telecom operators, banks, and fintech
players to build a more inclusive and integrated financial ecosystem in the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Speaking
following the Africa Banking Forum, Al Americani emphasised that the future of
finance in the country depends on aligning mobile technology with traditional
banking systems to drive financial inclusion while strengthening regulatory
frameworks.
He
noted that recent data demonstrates the impact of this collaboration, with
nearly $120 million in microloans disbursed over the past year, achieving a
repayment rate of 94.5 percent. In addition, approximately $88 million has been
channelled into the formal banking sector through wallet-to-bank transfers,
helping to convert informal liquidity into structured financial activity.
According
to him, the country’s growing mobile money ecosystem provides a strong
foundation for further integration, with nearly 35 million mobile money users
nationwide, including about 10 million active users on Vodacom’s M-Pesa
platform, VodaCash.
Al
Americani stressed that interoperability and open digital platforms will be
critical to ensuring broader access to financial services and connecting more
citizens to the formal economy.
He
added that coordinated efforts among regulators, financial institutions, and
technology providers are essential to building a fair, resilient, and inclusive
financial system capable of supporting long-term economic growth in the DRC.