The mobile money operator Wave SA is experiencing turbulence in Mali. The Directorate General of Trade, Consumer Affairs and Competition (DGCC) has officially ordered the company to comply with current regulations, following a dispute concerning withdrawal fees.

The crux of the problem: the 1% tax

At the heart of the dispute is a decree imposing a 1% levy on each withdrawal transaction made by subscribers. While the measure seems simple, it is Wave's implementation that is causing problems for the authorities:

1. The legal requirement: Operators must pass on this 1% directly to the customer during the transaction.
2. Wave's strategy: The company chose to absorb this cost by deducting it from its own revenue, thus making the charge "invisible" to its users.

An advantage deemed "unfair"

For the DGCC (French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control), this generosity is not simply a commercial gesture, but a regulatory circumvention . In an official statement, the institution specifies that this practice creates a major imbalance in the market.

"Wave SA has chosen to bear this charge [...] rather than passing it on to customers, contrary to the planned arrangements," the DGCC points out.

The consequences, according to the authorities:

1. Distortion of competition: By not charging the 1%, Wave causes a massive migration of users to its services.
2. Harm to competitors: Other operators, who strictly apply the law, suffer a drop in traffic.
3. Reminder of the rules: The stated objective of the State is to restore perfect fairness between all players in the sector.

Towards forced compliance

Ordered to rectify the situation, the operator with the blue penguin logo now has no choice but to strictly apply the tax. This decision reflects the Malian authorities' commitment to strictly regulating the electronic money sector to prevent any dominant position acquired through methods deemed unregulated.