How do people in Burkina Faso pay online?
Mobile money is the main way to pay. The BCEAO counted 23.7 million electronic money accounts in Burkina Faso at the end of 2024, 9.53% of all accounts in the UEMOA. Of these, 8.7 million were active, meaning they made at least one transaction in the previous 90 days, an activity rate of 36.5% against 30.9% for the union. They carried 2.17 billion transactions worth XOF 20,139 billion in 2024, 12.6% of the union’s value, behind only Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.
Money moves across borders too. Burkina Faso was second in the union for electronic money transfers between UEMOA countries in 2024, with 22 million operations worth XOF 1,459 billion, sent and received.
Several wallets compete. The BCEAO lists Orange Money Burkina Faso as an electronic money institution, Moov Money through partnerships between Moov Africa and the banks UBA Burkina and Ecobank Burkina, Wave through UBA Burkina and Orabank Burkina, and Telecel and Coris Money among others. Orange Burkina Faso invites merchants to sell goods and services online through Orange Money. Wave Burkina’s general manager said in July 2026 that Wave launched in the country in 2021, has more than 10,000 points of sale in every region, and charges nothing for deposits and withdrawals.
Cards are a smaller channel. Across the union, electronic money made up 98% of electronic payment transactions in 2024 and bank cards 1.74%. GIM-UEMOA, created in 2003 by the BCEAO and banks, runs the regional card scheme and switch, and its GIM-eCommerce gateway enables online payments on merchant sites, next to Visa and Mastercard. Google Pay is available for online and in-app payments.
Instant payments are arriving. The BCEAO started live tests of its interoperable instant payment platform, PI-SPI, on 5 June 2025 and set the official launch for 30 September 2025. It links banks, microfinance institutions and electronic money issuers across the UEMOA.
What rules shape online payments in Burkina Faso?
Foreign sellers need a local tax representative. According to Grant Thornton, a taxpayer not established in Burkina Faso must have a representative domiciled in the country and accredited with a tax office, who completes the formalities and pays the tax. Without one, the tax and any penalties fall on the customer. VAT returns are monthly, generally by the 15th, and filed online through the eSINTAX portal.
Customer data needs the CIL. Law No. 001-2021 of 30 March 2021 on the protection of personal data makes the Commission de l’Informatique et des Libertés the authority. Controllers generally notify the CIL before processing. Transfers abroad need its authorisation, and the destination must ensure protection equal to Burkina Faso’s.
Cross-border payments follow BCEAO rules. The CFA franc is pegged to the euro at XOF 655.957 per euro. BCEAO Instruction No. 01-07-2025/RFE, in force since 1 August 2025, governs payments to and from abroad and with non-residents, and requires approved intermediaries to detect attempts to split payments.
How would Omno route payments in Burkina Faso?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Burkina Faso:
- Orange Money pay-ins would go to a provider with an Orange Money connection in Burkina Faso, with the order pending until the customer confirms the payment.
- Moov Money and Wave can be offered in the hosted checkout next to Orange Money, each routed to a provider that holds that wallet.
- Card pay-ins can be routed by BIN, with cascading to the next provider in the rule if one is unavailable or rejects the request.
Webhooks would carry the final status of each payment, the record a back office should trust before shipping an order, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for several wallets. Orange Money, Moov Money and Wave each have their own customers, so a checkout with only one leaves many people out.
Plan for asynchronous results. Wallet payments wait for the customer to confirm them, so orders need a pending state and webhook confirmation.
Plan for a tax representative. A seller without a local establishment needs an accredited representative, or its customers carry the tax.
Plan for data and transfer rules. Notify the CIL, get its authorisation before sending customer data abroad, and expect banks to check payments abroad under BCEAO rules.