AXIAN's fintech ambitions have been bolstered as the company announced today that it has secured a Decentralised digital Financial Institution license from the Central Bank of Comoros, enabling it to establish a new regulated business that will operate under a prudential supervisory framework.
According to the company, this milestone is a big step forward in AXIAN's digibank and fintech strategy, and it is part of the group's larger pan-African goal of designing and scaling safe, interoperable, and universally accessible digital financial solutions
AXIAN is a pan-African infrastructure and services group operating in 21 countries and specialising in five sectors with strong growth potential: energy, digibank and fintech, real estate, financial services and telecoms.
Commenting on the recent development, the company said that, while it already has a presence in mobile financial services through MVola, the newly licensed institution works as a separate regulated entity overseen by the Central Bank of the Comoros.
“It will comply fully with all applicable prudential, governance and regulatory requirements, complementing the existing financial system and reinforcing the country’s financial infrastructure,” said the company.
It went on to state that the initiative is part of the Comoros Central Bank's efforts to increase financial inclusion and modernise the country's financial system.
The company added: “From launch, the institution will introduce core digital credit solutions, including nano- and micro-loans, accessible directly via mobile phones.
“Built on a fully digital and branchless model, these services are designed to enable near-instant credit decisioning and disbursement, supporting everyday needs such as working capital, healthcare, education and informal economic activity, regardless of geographic location.”
AXIAN said additional products will be introduced progressively under a measured development roadmap, ensuring responsible growth aligned with customer needs and regulatory standards.
It continued: “By leveraging the reach of MVola and the Group’s broader digital ecosystem, AXIAN can extend access to formal financial services beyond the physical footprint of traditional banking and microfinance networks.”
Erwan Gelebart, CEO, Axian Digibank and Fintech cluster, said: "This license marks a decisive step in AXIAN’s ambition to build inclusive and sustainable financial ecosystems in the Comoros and across our markets.
“It strengthens our digibank and fintech activities and enhances the impact of Mixx and MVola by enabling regulated financial services to complement our existing mobile financial capabilities.
“Concretely, this means that an individual or a farmer in Anjouan will be able to access a nano-loan directly from their mobile phone, without the need to travel to a bank branch.
"This initiative reflects AXIAN digibank and fintech’s broader commitment to empower individuals and entrepreneurs by making secure and accessible digital financial services universally available."
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