Senegal

Identity verification (KYC) and AML/CFT in Senegal

In Senegal, banks apply the common BCEAO framework and report suspicions to the CENTIF. Verita reads the ECOWAS biometric ID card, with its number format checked, and the passport, compares the customer’s face with the document and screens the name against sanctions and PEP lists.

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Senegal at a glance

Central bank: BCEAO (Central Bank of West African States), shared by the eight states
Banking supervisor: WAMU Banking Commission
Financial intelligence unit: CENTIF (National Financial Intelligence Processing Unit)
FATF-style regional body: GIABA
AML/CFT law: Law No. 2024-08 of 14 February 2024
Data protection: Law No. 2008-12 of 25 January 2008; authority: CDP
National ID document: ECOWAS biometric chip ID card, issued by the DAF since 2016
Business register: RCCM (OHADA area); APIX one-stop shop
Tax identification number: NINEA (national identification number of businesses and associations)
Currency: CFA franc (XOF)
Official language: French
FATF status (June 2026 plenary): Not under increased monitoring
Insurance: CIMA member

What Verita checks today in Senegal

Identity documents: the Senegalese ECOWAS biometric ID card (with the number format checked) and the passport, with the MRZ read.
Passports from every country, in the ICAO 9303 format.
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 Senegal, we scope them in a pilot.

The AML/CFT framework in Senegal

Senegal is part of the WAEMU: the BCEAO and the WAMU Banking Commission supervise banks, and Law No. 2024-08 of 14 February 2024, which replaces the 2018 law, transposes the AML/CFT/PF uniform law. Senegal was the first country to roll out the ECOWAS biometric ID card. Grey-listed by the FATF in February 2021, it was no longer under increased monitoring after the June 2026 plenary.

What is set up in a pilot

Banks in Senegal apply the same BCEAO instructions as Ivorian banks: Verita’s checks, visible reasoning and audit trail apply as they are. The national FIU’s own report format is set up in a pilot.

Personal data

Law No. 2008-12 of 25 January 2008 on personal data protection, supervised by the personal data protection commission (CDP), governs the processing of personal data in Senegal; 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 Senegalese ECOWAS biometric ID card?

Yes. The Senegalese ECOWAS biometric ID card and the passport are supported, with the number format checked, along with face match and liveness.

Who do banks in Senegal report suspicions to?

To the CENTIF (National Financial Intelligence Processing Unit). Verita prepares the report and has it approved by two people in your institution; your reporting officer sends it.

Is KYB available in Senegal?

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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