The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) has published on its website the official list of credit institutions approved in the Union as of December 31, 2025.

161 credit institutions are on the official list published by the BCEAO. They are divided into 136 banks (including 22 branches) and 25 financial institutions of a banking nature. Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal each have 33 credit institutions, comprising 29 banks and 4 financial institutions. Together, these countries account for over 40% of the Union's banking workforce.

Next come Burkina Faso and Niger (20 credit institutions each), Mali and Togo (17 each), Benin (15), and Guinea-Bissau (6). Niger stands out with a relatively high number of non-bank financial institutions. Beyond banks, the BCEAO lists 25 specialized financial institutions, 30 payment institutions approved in 2025, and nearly 300 large microfinance institutions.