THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ACTORS OF ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS USING BANK CARD AND MOBILE WALLET: THE CASE OF WEST AFRICA ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION (WAEMU)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/nn-bma-12-1-13Keywords:
Electronic payment system, bank card, mobile money, network externalities, adoption rate, customer, merchant, market equilibrium, strategic game, financial educationAbstract
The traditional microeconomic analysis of the behavior of direct actors (customer, merchant) and incidentally indirect actors (banks and mobile money operators) in West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) bank card and mobile money payment systems over the period 2019-2023, informs that the adoption of mobile money in the WAEMU is supported by a favorable equilibrium for the customer, thanks to a strong network effect and a low risk of fraud, despite a higher cost. As for the merchant, he bears a negative net charge on both payment methods, but less with mobile money, which can influence his preferences. The application of game theory to the WAEMU context shows that market equilibrium favors the adoption and acceptance of mobile money by customers and merchants, while the bank card remains a minority. In doing so, it suggests improving financial education and success rate around the bank card, reducing fees for merchants on mobile money, and continuing to watch over fraud to maintain overall trust in both systems.
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