Orange Money gets separate licence in Liberia

28 February 2026

On today's Techpoint Digest, we discuss Orange Money's separate licence in Liberia, repairing Nigeria's broken poultry chain, and Spiro's $50 million to power Africa’s e-bikes

Orange Money gets separate licence in Liberia

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Orange Money gets a separate licence in Liberia

A reality check for African startups

Spiro raises $50M to power Africa’s e-bikes

Orange Money gets a separate licence in Liberia

Liberia’s telecom regulator is shaking up the mobile money market. The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has granted Orange Money a separate licence to operate independently from Orange Liberia, in line with new rules that force telcos to split their telecom and fintech businesses.

What this means is simple: mobile money is no longer allowed to sit comfortably under telecom operators. Under the updated value-added service (VAS) regulations, both Orange Liberia and Lonestar Cell MTN must decouple from their fintech arms — Orange Money and MTN Mobile Money. Lonestar is expected to secure its own separate licence soon.

The bigger shift, however, is about control. The LTA has taken over the management of USSD shortcodes, those simple dial codes that allow users to send money, check balances, and make payments without internet access. Previously, telcos controlled these codes, effectively deciding who could enter the market. Now, fintech companies can apply directly to the regulator for access.

Why does this matter? Because Liberia’s mobile money space is heavily concentrated. Orange Money crossed one million subscribers in March 2025, while MTN Mobile Money reported 1.28 million by year-end, together serving more than 2.2 million people in a country of roughly 5.6 million. Opening up shortcode access could lower barriers for new fintech entrants and chip away at the duopoly.

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The reform goes further. Telcos can no longer monopolise numbering resources like toll-free lines or machine-to-machine codes. The LTA has already licensed five value-added service aggregators to act as intermediaries between operators and digital service providers, with plans to increase that number. For now, Or...