BRVM Rebounds 1.11% as Bridge Bank Leads Yet Another Week of Gains

BREAKING NEWSOctober 4, 2026 at 3:35 PM UTC

TLDR

BRVM ended week higher with gains in Bridge Bank Group, SODECI, and Sonatel boosting regional market.
Equity market capitalization rose by XOF 235 billion to XOF 21.44 trillion despite weak market breadth.
Sonatel accounted for 39.28% of total value traded, with Bridge Bank and Société Générale Côte d’Ivoire following closely.

The BRVM ended the week to October 2 higher, recovering part of the previous week’s losses as gains in Bridge Bank Group Côte d’Ivoire, SODECI and Sonatel lifted the regional market. The BRVM Composite rose 1.11% to 546.78 points, while the BRVM 30 gained 0.97% to 264.57 points. The BRVM Prestige added 1.46% to 202.83 points and the BRVM Principal increased 0.30% to 383.35 points. Equity market capitalization rose by about XOF 235 billion to XOF 21.44 trillion.

The gains came despite weak market breadth. Of the 48 listed stocks, 19 advanced, 25 declined and 4 were unchanged. About 6.75 million shares changed hands during the week, down 6.19% from the previous week, while the value of transactions rose 4.40% to about XOF 17.94 billion. Sonatel accounted for XOF 7.05 billion, or 39.28% of the total value traded. Bridge Bank and Société Générale Côte d’Ivoire followed, with the 3 stocks accounting for more than 60% of weekly turnover.

Bridge Bank led the market with a 15.39% gain to XOF 8,995 after reaching XOF 9,675 during the week. SODECI rose 9.08% to XOF 12,980, taking its 2026 gain to 123.79%. Sonatel climbed 5.88% to XOF 45,000. Utilities gained 2.20% during the week, telecommunications rose 1.87%, financial services added 1.46% and industrials increased 1.26%. Consumer discretionary stocks fell 6.28%, the largest decline among the sector indices.

Sucrivoire posted the largest weekly loss, falling 10.97% to XOF 2,760. The stock remains up about 160% in 2026 despite its recent decline. Servair Abidjan fell 10.94% to XOF 3,500 following its ex-dividend period, while Tractafric Motors lost 7.03% to XOF 3,900. The moves showed that gains in a small number of large stocks were enough to push the main indices higher even as more companies fell than rose.

Attention now turns to Sonatel, one of the BRVM’s largest companies and a key driver of the telecommunications index. Shareholders are due to meet on October 8 to vote on a proposed 1-for-10 stock split. If approved, each existing share will become 10 shares from October 26 and the nominal value will fall from XOF 500 to XOF 50. Sonatel’s capital would remain unchanged. The BRVM Composite, meanwhile, finished the week 9.12 points, or about 1.64%, below its recent record of 555.90 points.

Key Takeaways

The BRVM’s 1.11% weekly gain shows why index performance needs to be viewed alongside market breadth and trading concentration. The Composite rose even though 25 stocks declined and only 19 gained because several companies with larger market weights posted gains. Sonatel was part of that support, rising 5.88% while accounting for almost 40% of the value traded during the week. Bridge Bank also remained a focus after gaining 15.39%, while SODECI’s 9.08% advance pushed its 2026 return above 123%. The market is also close to its recent record, with the Composite ending the week only 1.64% below the 555.90-point level reached in September. That leaves the next move dependent in part on whether gains spread beyond a small group of stocks. Sonatel could play a role in trading activity in the coming weeks. Its proposed 1-for-10 stock split would reduce the market price per share by about 90% while increasing each shareholder’s number of shares by 10 times, leaving the value of their holding unchanged at the time of the split. At a pre-split price of XOF 45,000, the equivalent theoretical price would be about XOF 4,500 after the split, before any market movement. A lower unit price may make it easier for investors with smaller portfolios to buy the stock and could support trading activity, though a split does not change Sonatel’s earnings, market value or business. With Sonatel among the BRVM’s largest companies, changes in its price and trading volume can also have an impact on the direction of the wider market.