Led by Mali and Côte d'Ivoire, outstanding loans granted by the decentralized financial services of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU) in 2019 reached 12.1%, according to the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).

In 2019, outstanding loans granted by WAMU's decentralized financial services had increased by 10% compared to the previous year. In 2020, this growth reached 12.1%, according to the BCEAO.
The BCEAO's report on the State of Microfinance as at 31 December 2020 indicates that the volume of loans granted by WAMU microfinance institutions has increased. The overall outstanding amount of credits for decentralised financial services (DFS) in the Union reached CFAF 1662.2 billion, reflecting a growth of 12.1% compared to 2019. Mali and Côte d'Ivoire were the two countries with the largest increases.
The volume of microcredit granted by DFS in Mali increased by 20.1%, while it increased by 19.1% in Côte d'Ivoire. The two countries are followed by Benin (+12.8%), Togo (+10.4%), Burkina Faso (+9.7%) and Senegal (+9.3%).