Mauritania

Identity verification (KYC) and AML/CFT in Mauritania

In Mauritania, the Central Bank of Mauritania supervises banks and the Mauritanian Financial Investigations Unit (UMEF) receives suspicious transaction reports. Verita reads passports there, compares the customer’s face with the document and screens the name against sanctions and PEP lists.

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Mauritania at a glance

Central bank: Central Bank of Mauritania (BCM), which also supervises banks
Financial intelligence unit: Mauritanian Financial Investigations Unit (UMEF)
FATF-style regional body: MENAFATF (not GIABA)
AML/CFT law: Law No. 2019-017 of 20 February 2019 (money laundering and terrorist financing)
Data protection: Law No. 2017-020 of 22 July 2017; authority: APD
National ID document: Identification card (Decree No. 2021-138), issued by ANRPTS, with a chip
Business register: Trade register (not OHADA); company formation one-stop shop in Nouakchott
Tax identification number: NIF (tax identification number)
Currency: Ouguiya (MRU)
Official language: Arabic
FATF status (June 2026 plenary): Not under increased monitoring
Insurance: Not a CIMA member

What Verita checks today in Mauritania

Passports and MRZ documents (ICAO 9303 format), whatever the issuing country.
The Mauritanian identification card: it can be uploaded as a generic identity document; dedicated reading (fields, number format) is set up in a pilot.
Face match, liveness and sanctions (UN, OFAC, EU, UK) and PEP screening, as on every file.
Businesses: automatic registry cross-checks are available for Côte d’Ivoire; for Mauritania, we scope them in a pilot.

The AML/CFT framework in Mauritania

Mauritania is part of neither the WAEMU nor OHADA, and it belongs to MENAFATF (Middle East and North Africa), not GIABA. Law No. 2019-017 of 20 February 2019 frames the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing; it turned the CANIF into the Mauritanian Financial Investigations Unit. The country was not under FATF increased monitoring after the June 2026 plenary.

What is set up in a pilot

Verita is built for the BCEAO framework. For Mauritania, the national rules and the FIU’s report format are set up with your compliance team in a pilot.

Personal data

Law No. 2017-020 of 22 July 2017 on personal data protection, supervised by the personal data protection authority (APD), governs the processing of personal data in Mauritania; face photos and identity documents are part of it. Verita can be installed on your own servers so that this data stays inside your perimeter, and every access is logged in the audit trail.

Frequently asked questions

Does Verita read the Mauritanian identification card?

Not with dedicated reading yet: it can be uploaded as a generic identity document, and full reading is set up in a pilot. Passports are read automatically.

Who do banks in Mauritania report suspicions to?

To the Mauritanian Financial Investigations Unit (UMEF), which succeeded the CANIF. Verita prepares the report and has it approved by two people in your institution; your reporting officer sends it.

Is KYB available in Mauritania?

Automatic business-registry cross-checks are available for Côte d’Ivoire. For this country, we scope them with you in a pilot.

Can Verita be installed on our own servers?

Yes. On-premise installation is possible: documents and personal data never leave your infrastructure.

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