SCB Cameroon’s Customer Financing Reaches CFA489 Billion, Equal to 68% of Deposits

SCB Cameroon had CFA489.3 billion in gross customer financing as of July 31, 2026, equivalent to 68.2% of its CFA717.2 billion in demand, savings and term deposits, according to calculations based on the bank’s published monthly balance sheet. Total assets stood at CFA912.44 billion.

Gross customer financing comprised CFA395.9 billion in direct loans, CFA16.9 billion in leasing and CFA76.5 billion in customer overdraft accounts. With CFA3 billion in related receivables added, the accounting balance reached CFA492.2 billion.

The deposit calculation combines demand, savings and term accounts. It excludes CFA9 billion in certificates of deposit and CFA675 million in related liabilities. The 68.2% figure is therefore an arithmetic indicator calculated from the balance sheet rather than a prudential ratio published by the bank.

The monthly statement provides outstanding balances but does not disclose nonperforming loans, provisions or the cost of risk. It therefore cannot be used to assess the quality of SCB Cameroon’s loan portfolio.

Overdraft Accounts Drive Nearly 87% of the Increase

A comparison with the end of May shows a modest increase in customer financing, with significant differences among individual components. According to the May statement, direct loans, leasing and customer overdraft accounts totaled CFA477.46 billion. Two months later, they stood at CFA489.26 billion, an increase of CFA11.80 billion, or 2.5%.

Direct loans rose CFA2.27 billion, or 0.6%, while leasing declined CFA715 million, or 4.1%. Customer overdraft accounts increased from CFA66.24 billion to CFA76.49 billion. Their CFA10.25 billion increase, or 15.5%, accounted for nearly 87% of the net rise in customer financing between May and July.

Over the same period, deposits included in the calculation fell from CFA736.35 billion to CFA717.20 billion, a decline of CFA19.15 billion, or 2.6%. Most of the decrease came from demand deposits, which fell CFA17.88 billion, while term deposits declined CFA1.69 billion. Savings accounts increased CFA428 million.

As a result, the gross financing-to-deposit ratio rose from 64.8% to 68.2%, an increase of 3.4 percentage points. The May figures, however, are rounded and come from a secondary source. The comparison therefore indicates a trend pending access to the original monthly statement. The higher ratio alone is not sufficient to establish liquidity pressure.

Demand Deposits Account for 74% of Customer Funding

As of July 31, demand deposits stood at CFA533.4 billion and represented 74.4% of the deposits included in the calculation. Savings accounts totaled CFA163.9 billion, or 22.9%, while term deposits amounted to CFA19.9 billion, or 2.8%.

On the asset side, CFA331.6 billion in loans were classified as medium term, equivalent to 83.8% of direct loans. Short-term loans totaled CFA61.8 billion and long-term loans CFA2.5 billion.

The figures show that customer funding consists predominantly of demand deposits, while most direct loans are classified as medium term. They do not, however, establish a maturity mismatch. Such an assessment would require information on contractual maturities, the observed stability of deposits and regulatory liquidity indicators.

CFA322 Billion in Investment Securities and Interbank Assets

SCB Cameroon also reported CFA107.2 billion in investment securities and CFA215.1 billion in interbank and treasury operations. Together, the two categories totaled CFA322.3 billion, equivalent to 35.3% of total assets. After CFA29.5 billion in interbank and related liabilities, the bank maintained a positive net interbank asset position of CFA185.6 billion.

Its CFA10.54 billion in capital and the CFA80.65 billion aggregate category that combines reserves, retained earnings and provisions for general risks totaled CFA91.19 billion, equivalent to 10% of the balance sheet. This amount represents neither net equity nor regulatory capital because the second category combines items of different types.

As of December 31, 2025, Attijariwafa Bank’s financial report showed CFA86.07 billion in regulatory capital and CFA543.92 billion in risk-weighted assets at SCB Cameroon. Its overall capital adequacy ratio stood at 15.82%, compared with a minimum requirement of 11.50%, which provided a margin of 4.32 percentage points. Those figures predate the July statement by seven months.

Attijariwafa Bank owns 51% of SCB Cameroon. An appendix published with its June 30, 2026, results reports net income of CFA18.03 billion and net equity of CFA105.40 billion for the Cameroonian subsidiary. Both figures, however, are as of December 31, 2025.

The July publication contains no net banking income, expenses, earnings or updated prudential ratios. It provides a snapshot of the size and structure of SCB Cameroon’s balance sheet, not its profitability in 2026.

Baudouin Enama