The verdict in three sentences
Integrating each mobile money operator country by country becomes unmanageable beyond 3 or 4 markets. Bizao exposes a single REST API covering Orange Money, MTN MoMo, Moov, Wave and cards across 15+ countries, against a ballpark commission of 1.5 to 3.5% per corridor. The real trade-off: go-to-market speed versus a margin layer taken by the aggregator.
Country and operator coverage
The value of an aggregator is not redoing KYC, settlement and webhook integration for each operator. Here is a 2026 ballpark of Bizao coverage by country.
| Country | Operators covered (2026 estimate) | Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | Orange Money, Free Money, Wave | Yes |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Orange, MTN MoMo, Moov, Wave | Yes |
| Cameroon | Orange Money, MTN MoMo | Yes |
| Mali | Orange Money, Moov | Yes |
| Burkina Faso | Orange, Moov | Yes |
| Benin | MTN MoMo, Moov | Yes |
| DRC | Orange, Airtel, M-Pesa | Yes |
A single technical integration opens all these corridors, where direct requires a contract and acceptance testing per operator.
Fees, integration and total cost
The decision rests on three axes: per-transaction commission, integration time, and the maintenance cost of N direct connections. Ballpark comparison for a volume of 5,000,000 FCFA/month collected.
| Criterion | Bizao (aggregator) | Hub2 (aggregator) | Direct integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-transaction commission | ~1.5 - 3.5% | ~1.5 - 3% | Varies per operator |
| Setup fees | Onboarding fee | Onboarding fee | High (per operator) |
| Integration time | 1 API, 2 - 4 weeks | 1 API, 2 - 5 weeks | N integrations, 2 - 6 months |
| Countries covered | 15+ | 10+ | 1 per contract |
| Multi-currency settlement | Handled | Handled | Self-managed |
| Est. monthly cost on 5M FCFA | ~75,000 - 175,000 FCFA commission | ~75,000 - 150,000 FCFA | Commissions + dev maintenance |
At low volume, integrating a single Wave directly stays unbeatable. As soon as you serve several countries, the Bizao layer pays for itself in saved dev and maintenance time.
Mini case study
Mariama runs an online cosmetics store selling in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Cameroon. Direct, she'd manage 4 operator contracts and 4 technical acceptance cycles, an estimated budget of 6 to 9 million FCFA and 4 to 6 months. Through Bizao, a single integration in 3 weeks opens all 4 countries. On 5,000,000 FCFA/month collected at 2.5% commission, she pays ~125,000 FCFA/month, in exchange for a go-to-market divided by 5.
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FAQ
Does Bizao replace a direct Wave integration in Senegal?
Not necessarily. For a single country and single operator, direct is cheaper on commission. Bizao makes sense from 3 or 4 countries to cover simultaneously.
What are the real per-transaction fees?
The 2026 ballpark is 1.5 to 3.5% depending on corridor and operator, to confirm in your contract. Cards often carry a rate distinct from mobile money wallets.
How long to integrate Bizao?
Budget 2 to 4 weeks for an integration via a single REST API, versus 2 to 6 months to wire N operators directly.
How is multi-currency settlement handled?
The aggregator consolidates multi-country collections and handles conversion, which you'd otherwise orchestrate yourself operator by operator.
Bizao or Hub2: which to choose?
Both are aggregators with similar fees. The choice depends on exact coverage of your target countries and settlement quality; we help you benchmark both on your case.
Let's talk about your project. We'll scope your multi-country payment integration and decide aggregator or direct. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
