Target SARL conducted documentary research on digital financial services in the Democratic Republic of Congo to highlight the level of interoperability of the various services offered by mobile operators and banks. The year 2010 was marked by the rise of the M-Pesa mobile money service in Kenya, leading to a considerable increase in other mobile money services. In their early days, mobile money services did not allow users to move electronic money between different operators. Several initiatives promote interoperability, i.e., the possibility of moving funds from one Mobile Money Provider or MMP to another (wallet-to-wallet) or from an MMP to a bank or from a bank to an MMP (bank-to-wallet).

The documentary survey and informal interviews conducted by the TARGET SARL team showed that the mobile money sector in the DRC reached 2021, according to the ARPTC (Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et Télécommunications en RDC), global revenue of 41 812 322 USD with 12 739 638 subscribers and a penetration rate of 14.21%. Vodacom has a record 38.88% market share, followed by Airtel (27.15%), Orange (26.76%), and Africell (7.21%). So far, only Vodacom, Orange, and Airtel offer Bank-to-wallet interconnection, and Wallet-to-Wallet interoperability is only possible between Orange and Vodacom.

For bank-to-wallet interoperability, Orange, through its Orange money MMP, works with four commercial banks, including Ecobank, Equity BCDC, Rawbank, UBA, and a microfinance institution, FINCA. It offers five services: zwa cash, merchant payment, orange money visa card, bank na phone, and transfer from a Finca account to orange money.
Vodacom M-Pesa works with five banks, including Ecobank, Equity BCDC, Rawbank, Sofibanque, UBA, and a microfinance institution, FINCA. It offers services such as Kimia life insurance payment, M-Pesa bank n'a tshombo, M-Pesa transfer to my bank, salary advance, and merchant payment.

As for Airtel, it works with three commercial banks, including Ecobank, Rawbank, and Sofibanque. It offers a transfer service from a bank account to an Airtel money account and vice versa. It also allows you to receive money from abroad via MFS Africa, Moneygram, and Worldremit.
The complete survey on the interoperability of mobile money services, including details on digital products in the banking sector and their functionalities, is available upon request (info@target-sarl.cd)