A side-by-side of fees, limits and best-fit use cases for Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money, including the PI-SPI rules taking effect from November 2026.
App / agent points · support 1315
USSD #144# · around 40,000 agent points
USSD *133# · MoMo app
USSD *155# · Moov Africa outlets
| Category | Wave | Orange Money | MTN MoMo | Moov Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer fee | 1% (capped at 5,000 FCFA) | Tiered, free in some cases | 1% (capped at 4,500 FCFA) | Tiered schedule |
| Deposit | Free | Free | 0% (since August 2025) | Free |
| Withdrawal | Free | Tiered, from about 100 FCFA | 0% (in-app, since August 2025) | Tiered, from about 50 FCFA |
| Merchant collection | Free for customers, about 1% for merchants | Free on the customer side | Free to receive | Tiered schedule |
| Limit | 2,000,000 FCFA per transaction if identified; 200,000 FCFA monthly if not | Full account: 2,000,000 FCFA balance, 10,000,000 FCFA monthly | 2,000,000 FCFA if identified; 200,000 FCFA monthly if not | 200,000 FCFA monthly unidentified, raised after KYC |
Fees and caps change often; operators' latest official notices take precedence.
Wave or MTN MoMo: both sit at the lowest fee level, and MTN's in-app deposits and withdrawals are 0%.
Withdrawals are free on Wave; in rural areas, weigh the distance to an Orange Money agent first.
Wave is around 1% on the merchant side, the cheapest; accept Orange Money too so you lose no customers.
Moov Money and Orange Money have better West African cross-border coverage.
The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) requires interoperable e-money transfers within WAEMU to be routed through the PI-SPI platform. It is the single most important rule for understanding Côte d'Ivoire's payment landscape today.
Person-to-person transfers are launched with free pricing as the headline.
Mandatory routing and a fee cap replace the launch-time free promise.
Interoperable e-money transfers inside WAEMU must go through the platform.
Transfers between member states follow the same pricing framework.
The allowance is calculated per user, per institution, per day — it is not shared across providers. Someone holding several wallets gets an allowance with each one.
Short, quotable answers. Fees and rules follow the latest notices from operators and the BCEAO.
Four wallets dominate: Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo and Moov Money. On fees alone: Wave charges 1% on transfers (capped at 5,000 FCFA) with free deposits and withdrawals; MTN MoMo has charged 0% on in-app deposits and withdrawals since August 2025; Orange Money's edge is its roughly 40,000 cash-out points, the widest coverage. Choose on fees, the distance to an agent and merchant acceptance together.
Within the same wallet, transfers are usually 1% (capped at 5,000 FCFA on Wave, 4,500 FCFA on MTN MoMo). Between different wallets, the transfer goes over PI-SPI: up to 8,000 FCFA per user per institution per day is free, and anything above that is capped at 0.8%. Receiving is always free. Operators' official notices take precedence.
Yes. A passport or residence permit is enough to open an account at an operator's outlet; once KYC identification is complete, limits rise substantially. Without full identification, accounts are typically capped at 200,000 FCFA of monthly transactions. Opening the account itself is free.
Yes — that is exactly why mobile money spread so widely in Côte d'Ivoire. Your phone number is the account, and you can receive from any wallet for free. If you need a physical card or an IBAN, digital accounts such as Djamo, or Orange Money's Visa card, are the usual add-ons.
The three split the use cases: Yango has the widest coverage and usually the lowest fares, making it the everyday choice; Heetch focuses on night rides and cheaper tiers; Uber is more reliable for airport and business trips. Most rides can be paid in cash or by mobile wallet.
Local sites such as Jumia widely accept cash on delivery and mobile-wallet payment. Bank cards are used far less than wallets. On the merchant side, aggregators like CinetPay let you collect Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo, Moov Money and cards through a single integration.
PI-SPI is the BCEAO's interoperable instant payment platform, launched on 30 September 2025. Since 2 November 2026, interoperable e-money transfers within WAEMU must be routed through it. In practice: small transfers become free (up to 8,000 FCFA per day per institution), funds arrive instantly and receiving is free; above the threshold, fees are capped at 0.8%.
Start with the operator app (My Orange / myMTN) and a mobile wallet (Wave or Orange Money). On arrival, an ID document is enough to open a SIM and a wallet at a shop; nearly all online and offline payments run through it. Then add a maps app, a translator and a currency converter.
The West African CFA franc (XOF), pegged to the euro at 1 EUR = 655.957 XOF. XE or Wise show live rates; day to day, cash and mobile wallets dominate.
Generally reliable, but watch for scams: never share the USSD one-time code, don't accept unknown QR payment requests, and only use the official app or an authorised agent. For a large transfer, send a small test amount first.
The mobile wallet alone is enough to receive free and pay any other wallet. For a physical card or an IBAN, digital accounts such as Djamo, the Orange Money Visa card or Cofina are the usual add-ons, with lower opening thresholds than a traditional bank.
Data is billed per MB/GB and varies by plan. Many social apps (WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube) ride free-data or cheap bundled offers, which is exactly why their penetration is so high. Get a high-volume local SIM on arrival.
Yango / Uber / Heetch for getting around, Glovo for delivery, Jumia or CoinAfrique for shopping and second-hand, Google Maps for sharing your pin. CIE and SODECI utility bills are often settled through the mobile wallet.