Congo Central Bank Says $8.5 Billion in Imported Cash Left Banking System

• Congo’s central bank says most of the dollars imported into the country in 2025 quickly left the banking system.
• Officials warn some of the cash may be feeding money laundering and armed groups in eastern Congo.
• Authorities plan tighter controls on foreign currency cash transactions starting in 2027.

The Central Bank of Congo says about $8.5 billion out of the $10 billion in U.S. dollar cash imported into the country in 2025 quickly disappeared from the formal banking system, raising concerns over money laundering and illicit financial flows.

The figure was disclosed April 28 by Central Bank Governor André Wameso during a press conference in Kinshasa.

“We conducted a study at the Central Bank of Congo. In 2025, we imported $10 billion in U.S. dollar cash,” Wameso said. “Deposits only increased by about $1.5 billion.”

He then asked: “So where did the remaining $8.5 billion go?”

The governor had already partly answered that question during an interview broadcast April 18 on Top Congo radio.

According to Wameso, part of the cash imported from the United States each year is believed to feed money laundering networks and possibly terrorism financing channels.

The former economic adviser to President Félix Tshisekedi said armed groups operating in eastern Congo are paying fighters in U.S. dollars despite having no legal way to import the currency themselves.

Central Bank Plans Stricter Cash Rules

In response, Congo’s Monetary Policy Committee decided during its April 9 meeting to grant the central bank exclusive authority over the physical importation of foreign banknotes.

The committee also approved plans to ban cash transactions in foreign currencies starting April 9, 2027.

Wameso said the measures are also intended to protect Congo’s financial system from growing international scrutiny.

Several rebel leaders operating in eastern Congo are currently under U.S. sanctions, and the governor warned that uncontrolled circulation of dollars inside the country could expose Congo to accusations that sanctioned individuals are benefiting from access to American currency.

That could potentially threaten the country’s access to the global dollar-based financial system.

The issue carries additional weight because Congo was placed on the Financial Action Task Force gray list in 2022, complicating relationships between local banks and foreign correspondent banks.

“All these measures are also intended to help our country comply with U.S. sanctions,” Wameso said, adding that the U.S. government supports the central bank’s decisions “100%.”

Sanctions Linked to Critical Minerals

The United States has increasingly used sanctions as part of its broader strategy tied to access to critical minerals in eastern Congo.

In August 2025, John K. Hurley, the U.S. Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, warned that Washington would take action against groups obstructing access to minerals considered strategic for U.S. national defense.

The sanctions targeted armed group leaders and networks accused of fueling instability in mineral-rich areas known for coltan, tin and other critical resources.

Less than a year later, the United States expanded pressure further by sanctioning former Congolese President Joseph Kabila.

Pierre Mukoko