Brazzaville strengthens its fintech credentials
In the final days of October 2025 the Congolese capital will become an intellectual crossroads for finance, hosting a conference-debate followed by an intensive seminar devoted to crypto-assets and the broader reconfiguration of the global monetary order. The initiative emanates from BT Integral Consulting, headed by banker-entrepreneur Aurélien Damase Bouithy, whose stated ambition is to provide decision-makers in Central Africa with a forum equal to the scale of the continent’s digital financial revolution (BT Integral Consulting).
Close to three hundred participants—bank executives, insurers, micro-finance leaders, representatives of the Central Bank and line ministries, scholars and multilateral officials—are expected. Beyond the volume, the diversity of profiles signals Brazzaville’s determination to anchor itself in the regional conversations over fintech regulation and banking innovation without challenging the prevailing macroeconomic stability fostered under President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s administration.
Decrypting the crypto-asset phenomenon
The inaugural session on 28 October promises a vigorous exchange under the provocative theme “The Rise of Crypto-Asset Markets: Major Innovation or Final Avatar of Virtual Finance?”. Over the past fifteen years, the market capitalisation of cryptocurrencies has oscillated spectacularly, compelling African banking actors to weigh the opportunities of blockchain-based payment systems against the risks of volatility and regulatory gaps. Participants will probe whether the momentum surrounding crypto-assets can be considered a structural evolution capable of enhancing financial inclusion, or whether it remains a speculative cycle liable to dissipate.
The debate acquires particular resonance in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, where the debate on legal tender status for digital currencies remains embryonic. Speakers are expected to examine how lessons drawn from other jurisdictions might be adapted to the CEMAC context without undermining monetary sovereignty (BT Integral Consulting).
Professional seminar on macro-monetary change
From 29 to 31 October, a fee-based seminar will deepen the analysis under the heading “Evolving Macro-Monetary Frameworks and Their Implications for the Banking Sector”. Over three days, participants will revisit fifteen years of financial transformation—from unconventional monetary policies in advanced economies to the rise of regional capital markets in Africa—and assess their cumulative impact on Congolese and CEMAC balance sheets.
Aurélien Damase Bouithy underlines that the sessions will move beyond diagnosis to actionable roadmaps, addressing such questions as the recalibration of bank business models, the development of domestic debt markets and the technical requirements for integrating digital currencies into existing core-banking systems (BT Integral Consulting).
Pedagogy led by a veteran of central banking
Gilles Morisson, former Deputy Director of the Banque de France and one-time technical adviser to the World Bank, will guide the deliberations. His dual exposure to European monetary integration and development-finance operations in Africa equips him with an unusual capacity to translate complex macroeconomic concepts into operational guidance. Organisers stress that his contribution should help bridge the frequently observed gap between global regulatory discourse and field-level banking practice.
À retenir : strategic insights for Congolese finance
The Brazzaville meetings come at a juncture when Central African banking groups face simultaneous pressures to upgrade compliance, diversify revenue and accelerate digitalisation. By convening regional actors around a forward-looking agenda, BT Integral Consulting positions itself—and by extension the Congolese financial ecosystem—as a proactive partner in shaping standards rather than merely importing them. For local institutions, the event offers a rare occasion to benchmark strategies against international peers without leaving domestic soil, thereby reinforcing human-capital retention and policy coherence.
Legal and economic vantage points
While the conference avoids dogmatism, legal scholars attending are expected to revisit prudential frameworks, anti-money-laundering provisions and consumer-protection norms, all of which could be challenged by decentralised finance. Economists, for their part, will re-evaluate the traditional transmission channels of monetary policy in a digital context, questioning whether central banks might one day need to issue their own crypto-denominated liabilities.
Such reflections remain exploratory rather than prescriptive, yet they testify to a maturing debate. In choosing to host it, Brazzaville underscores its commitment to measured innovation—seeking to capture the gains of technological change while safeguarding the macroeconomic equilibrium that underpins sustainable growth.