Niger debt faces market test as BCEAO ends regulatory shield

• Niger’s sovereign bonds to be classified as doubtful if unpaid for over 180 days
• $2.8bn in outstanding debt faces reclassification risk; regional banks on edge

Cotonou, Benin – West Africa’s regional central bank is ending a temporary regulatory exemption that had shielded Niger’s sovereign debt from being classified as distressed—exposing commercial banks across the region to heightened credit and capital risks.