Les établissements de crédit de l' Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine (UEMOA) show solid financial results. However, the rise in bad loans and the decline in risk provisioning signal potential vulnerabilities

Dans l' espace UEMOA, les banques continuent de démontrer solid financial performance, although the economic environment is increasingly uncertain. UEMOA banks recorded significant growth in their assets in 2023, with a balance sheet total of 65,921.3 billion CFA francs, an increase of 2.9% compared to the previous year. A large part of this expansion is due to loans, which jumped by 7.8% to CFAF 35,264 billion. This credit expansion is an encouraging sign for the regional economy and shows above all a recovery in demand and solid confidence in the ability of borrowers to repay

However, according to the latest data published by the WAEMU Banking Commission, behind these positive numbers are warning signs that call for careful and vigilant risk management. The net portfolio degradation rate, which measures the proportion of bad debts after provision, increased from 3.3% in 2022 to 3.7% in 2023. The provisioning rate for outstanding receivables, a key indicator of risk management, declined from 64.9% in 2022 to 58.7% in