BANTABA
In The Gambia, "bank interoperability" means moving money between a bank account and a mobile money wallet. Today that mostly runs through bilateral links between one wallet and one bank: Afrimoney with Access Bank since August 2023, Wave with Ecobank, and Afrimoney with other partner banks. You link the two accounts once, then transfer either way from the wallet or the bank app. Since December 2025 a national instant switch, BANTABA 2.0, built by the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) on Mojaloop, is meant to connect every bank and wallet to each other [1].
| Country | The Gambia (GM) |
| What it is | Transfers between bank accounts and mobile wallets: bilateral links, plus the national switches GamSwitch (cards, ATMs, POS) and BANTABA 2.0 (instant payments) |
| Banks or providers | Access Bank–Afrimoney [3]; Ecobank–Wave [5]; "some of Gambia's biggest banks" with Afrimoney [4] |
| Since | GamSwitch: date not published; Afrimoney–Access Bank: Aug 2023; BANTABA 2.0: Dec 2025 |
| Cost | Set by each bank and wallet; published in their apps [5] |
| Typical limit | The wallet's own limit (Afrimoney D30,000 per transaction [4]); CBG limits apply [5] |
| Reaches | Inside The Gambia only |
| Code on paper? | No. You transfer by account and phone number |
How bank–wallet links came to The Gambia
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Not dated | GamSwitch set up by the CBG with private investors as a public–private partnership, to connect all commercial banks, billers, international payment gateways, ATMs, POS, web and mobile [2] |
| 23 Aug 2023 | Afrimoney and Access Bank Gambia launch transfers between Afrimoney wallets and Access Bank accounts, for ordinary subscribers and for merchants that collect with Afrimoney [3] |
| Not dated | Wave and Ecobank Gambia publish terms for "bank to wallet" and "wallet to bank" transfers [5] |
| Oct 2024 | The CBG, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa (IIDiA) start technical training for a national interoperable switch on Mojaloop [1] |
| 15 Dec 2025 | BANTABA 2.0 ("a common meeting place" in Mandinka) announced live after a pilot with several digital financial service providers [1] |
BANTABA 2.0 connects banks, mobile money operators, microfinance institutions, fintechs and payment service providers through one switch, with real-time clearing and settlement, 24/7. It is meant for transfers between bank accounts and wallets, faster merchant payments, and government salaries, taxes and social transfers. The launch announcement says more institutions will join "as the platform scales", with full national adoption in later phases [1]. It does not name which banks and wallets are live, and we found no published participant list or transaction figures.
How to use it
There is no separate BANTABA or GamSwitch app; you use your bank's or wallet's own service.
- Afrimoney ↔ bank: fill in and sign the account-linkage form at a partner bank where you hold an account. After that, bank transfers are in the *777# menu [4]. With Access Bank, the transfer is customer-initiated and works both ways: you can pull money from your Access Bank account into Afrimoney and then pay with it [3].
- Wave ↔ Ecobank: you need a Wave account and an Ecobank GMD current or savings account in your own name. A "B2W" transfer credits your Wave wallet from the bank; you authorise each transfer with your PIN [5].
- Who can use it: customers with an account at both ends. The two accounts have to be in your own name [5].
Limits and fees
Each partner sets its own fees and shows them in its app; Wave's and Ecobank's terms say all transfers are also subject to limits set by the CBG from time to time [5]. The wallet's limit applies on the wallet side: Afrimoney allows D30,000 per transaction and D90,000 a day [4]. We found no published fee for a bank–wallet transfer, and no BANTABA 2.0 price list. Limits change; check your bank's and wallet's current terms.
Paying shops and businesses
Merchants that take payment in Afrimoney can sweep their takings to an Access Bank account through the same link [3]. GamSwitch is the CBG's platform for cards at ATMs and POS terminals and online [2]. BANTABA 2.0 promises faster merchant payments and lower settlement risk for small businesses [1], but we found no merchant product built on it yet.
Paying across borders
These links are domestic. For wallet-to-wallet transfers abroad, see Afrimoney (direct link with Sierra Leone since June 2026). GamSwitch is described as connecting international payment gateways [2]; we found nothing on BANTABA 2.0 reaching other countries.
Is there a bank transfer QR code in The Gambia?
No. Bank–wallet transfers in The Gambia are made by account and phone number inside the bank's or wallet's app, and the BANTABA 2.0 launch announcement does not mention a QR code [1]. The Gambia has no national payment QR standard and no bill-payment QR that we could find. QR codes you will see are each provider's own: Wave's merchant QR (see Wave QR) and Access Bank's AccessMore Pay scan-to-pay, both covered on the Afrimoney page. Mojaloop, the software under BANTABA 2.0, is a switch, not a code format, so the switch alone tells you nothing about a QR.
Safety: check the account before you confirm
We found no named scam involving bank–wallet transfers from the CBG. The partners' terms set the rules that matter: a transfer authorised with your PIN counts as conclusive proof that you made it, so never share your PIN, and Wave or the bank may hold or refuse a transfer if they suspect fraud [5]. If money goes to the wrong wallet, call your provider at once; Afrimoney tries to reverse wrong transfers within 24 hours but can't once the money has been withdrawn [4].
Bank interoperability and the alternatives in The Gambia
| Way to pay | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bank–wallet link | Topping up a wallet from salary; banking wallet takings | Only with your provider's partner banks |
| Afrimoney, QMoney, Wave | Day-to-day payments and transfers | The CBG lists Afrimobile Money and QMoney as licensed mobile money operators [6] |
| Bank transfer | Rent, invoices, larger amounts | Between banks through the CBG's RTGS and automated clearing house [2] |
| Card | ATMs and shop terminals | Switched through GamSwitch [2] |
The CBG says mobile money had 4.5 million registered and 2.4 million active accounts last year, as reported in April 2026 [7], which is why linking wallets to banks matters more here than linking banks to each other.
Sources
- The Point, "Gambia launches BANTABA 2.0, first real-time interoperable payment system", 15 Dec 2025. https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/headlines/gambia-launches-bantaba-2-0-first-real-time-interoperable-payment-system
- Central Bank of The Gambia, "GamSwitch", read 19 Oct 2026. https://cbg.gm/gamswitch
- Africell, "Afrimoney strikes deal with major bank in The Gambia", 23 Aug 2023. https://www.africell.com/story/afrimoney-access-bank-gambia/
- Africell Gambia, "Afrimoney" (product page and FAQ), read 19 Oct 2026. https://www.africell.gm/afrimoney/
- Wave and Ecobank Gambia, "Terms and conditions for the bank to wallet and wallet to bank transfer service", read 19 Oct 2026. https://www.wave.com/fr/terms_ecobank_linking_gm
- Central Bank of The Gambia, "Mobile Money" (list of mobile money operators), read 19 Oct 2026. https://cbg.gm/mobile-money
- The Fintech Times, "The African Nation of The Gambia's Fintech Landscape in 2026", 4 Apr 2026. https://thefintechtimes.com/the-african-nation-of-the-gambias-fintech-landscape-in-2026/
Researched 19 October 2026. Partner banks, limits and switch participants change; the banks', providers' and the Central Bank's own pages are authoritative.