What COFICERT does

COFICERT is a French certification body (organisme de certification de droit français) that issues financial and extra-financial certifications to organisations operating in 50+ countries across four continents. Structured as a non-profit under French law and headquartered at 3 Rue Édouard Fournier in Paris, the organisation maintains regional offices in Dubai (Middle East, located in DMCC Cluster N) and Tunis (Africa, Les Berges du Lac) to deliver assessments through three regional delivery hubs with a headcount of 51–100. Its certifications are anchored to standards developed under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Governance and Sustainability Forum (IGSF), positioning COFICERT as the certification body for these schemes in its covered regions. The publication director and listed leader is Cristian Mocanu.

The company offers a portfolio of four certification standards: AML 30001 (anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and proliferation financing systems for financial institutions and DNFBPs), ISO 37001 (anti-corruption management systems for public, private, and not-for-profit entities), MSI 20000 (an IGSF-anchored standard measuring the quality of an organisation's financial situation through sector-specific ratios), and ESG 1000 (extra-financial governance and CSR management systems for sustainable development). The certification methodology follows a two-phase process — initial technical compliance assessment followed by effectiveness evaluation — concluded by an independent certification committee. COFICERT consolidates and enhances these standards as a pioneer and leader in financial and extra-financial certification in its covered regions, with disclosed certified clients spanning banks (BIAT, Amen Bank, BNA, NSIA Banque CI, BGFIBank Senegal), microfinance institutions (ENDA Tamweel, Tamweely, Advans Tunisie, TANMEYAH), asset managers (CDC Gestion), and corporate entities across manufacturing, shipbuilding, beverage, logistics, and education.

COFICERT generates revenue through recurring certification assessment fees, with clients renewing on a multi-cycle basis (e.g., SFBT's sixth MSI 20000 conformity certificate, Amen Bank's third MSI 20000, BIAT's second AML 30000). Distribution is primarily direct enterprise sales through the three regional offices, supported by an emerging partner ecosystem — particularly for ESG 1000, where COFICERT signed deployment partnerships with CONSEIL RSE, HÉDON ASSOCIÉS, Forvis Mazars (Tunisia), Key Values, and Renoir Consulting in 2024. Marketing is conducted via the company's website news section and joint press releases with certified clients and partners, with no publicly disclosed pricing.

Name

COFICERT

Legal name

COFICERT - Commission for Financial Certifications

Website

https://coficert.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

COFICERT is a French non-profit certification body issuing financial and extra-financial certifications (AML 30001, ISO 37001, MSI 20000, ESG 1000) to banks, microfinance institutions, and corporations across 50+ countries on four continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Certification Services: COFICERT generates revenue through certification assessment fees. Organizations pay for initial certification audits and subsequent renewal cycles. The certification process involves a two-phase evaluation (technical compliance and effectiveness) with a certification committee determining compliance status.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

COFICERT is a French non-profit certification body providing independent third-party certifications for financial and extra-financial governance. Its core offerings are four certification schemes: AML 30001 (anti-money laundering), ISO 37001 (anti-bribery/anti-corruption), MSI 20000 (financial situation quality), and ESG 1000 (extra-financial governance), delivered through a two-phase evaluation combining documentary analysis with on-site audit.

Product overview

COFICERT is a French certification body specializing in financial and extra-financial certifications. The company offers a portfolio of four distinct international certification standards: AML 30001 for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, ISO 37001 for anti-corruption management systems, MSI 20000 for financial quality assessment, and ESG 1000 for extra-financial corporate governance (ESG). These certification services help financial institutions and companies demonstrate compliance with international standards in governance, integrity, and sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AML 30001

Quantifiable outcome

• Certification demonstrates compliance with international AML/CFT standards and serves as trust indicator for economic and financial operators
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Key ValuesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Strategic partnership for deployment of the certifiable ESG 1000 standard, announced July 1, 2024.
• CONSEIL RSEflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024Strategic partnership for deployment of the certifiable ESG 1000 standard, announced June 11, 2024.
• HÉDON ASSOCIÉSflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024Strategic partnership for deployment of the certifiable ESG 1000 standard, announced June 11, 2024.
• Forvis MazarsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024Strategic partnership with Forvis Mazars in Tunisia for ESG 1000 standard deployment, announced June 11, 2024.
• Renoir ConsultingflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for deployment of the ESG 1000 standard, focused on helping organizations implement extra-financial governance practices.
• ISO (International Organization for Standardization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOFICERT consolidates and enhances financial and extra-financial compliance through standards developed by ISO. The organization is positioned as the pioneer and leader in certification activities in covered regions, working alongside international certification and standardization organizations.
• IGSF (International Governance and Sustainability Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIGSF regulates and disseminates key COFICERT standards including AML 30001, AML 30000, and ESG 1000. COFICERT operates as the international certification body for standards developed by IGSF.
• European UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENDA Tamweel's initial AML 30000 certification project was initiated by the European Union and supervised by Expertise France in 2021.
• Expertise FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench international technical cooperation agency that supervised the EU-funded project for ENDA Tamweel's initial AML 30000 certification.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection and certification (TIC) giant offering ISO 37001 anti-bribery certification, ISO 37002, ESG assurance, and financial-crime compliance verification. Overlaps with COFICERT in third-party certification of governance and integrity standards, but operates at much larger scale and across all industries and geographies.
• SGS: One of the world's largest certification bodies providing ISO 37001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ESG/sustainability assurance including financial-statement-related and anti-corruption certifications. Competes head-on with COFICERT on ISO 37001 and broader governance certifications at global scale.
• TÜV Rheinland: Major global certification body offering management-system certification services including ISO 37001 (anti-bribery) and ISO 19600 (compliance), as well as ESG and sustainability audits. Overlaps with COFICERT's anti-corruption and governance certification portfolio.
• DNV: International accredited certification body providing ISO 37001, ISO 37301 (compliance) and ESG/sustainability assurance services. Direct overlap with COFICERT on anti-corruption, compliance management, and ESG governance certifications across regulated industries.
• LRQA: Global assurance and certification provider (formerly Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance) offering ISO 37001 anti-bribery certification, ESG assurance, and governance-related attestations. Comparable in product scope to COFICERT's certification catalogue but with significantly larger international scale.

Direct peers

• AFNOR Certification: French certification body (subsidiary of AFNOR Group) issuing ISO management-system certifications including ISO 37001 (anti-bribery) and ISO/IEC 27001, with a domestic French footprint and international coverage. Direct competitor on ISO-based certifications relevant to financial, anti-corruption and ESG governance.
• Certiquality: Italian accredited certification body providing ISO management system certifications (ISO 37001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001) and ESG-related attestations. Closely comparable to COFICERT as a mid-sized European-based certification body focused on governance and management-system certifications.

Emerging players

• Accredia: Italian national accreditation body that accredits conformity assessment and certification providers. Functions as a regulator/adjacent ecosystem player whose accreditations enable COFICERT-style certification bodies to operate; comparable in the certification ecosystem sense rather than as a direct commercial peer.

Others

• Forvis Mazars: Global audit, tax and advisory firm that has signed a strategic partnership with COFICERT for ESG 1000 deployment in Tunisia. Adjacent because it both advises clients on AML and ESG compliance (overlapping with COFICERT's problem domain) and acts as a channel partner for COFICERT's ESG certification in francophone Africa.
• EFRAG: European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, the technical advisor to the European Commission on ESRS/European sustainability reporting standards. Adjacent ecosystem actor whose standards shape demand for ESG 1000-type extra-financial governance certifications offered by COFICERT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coficert

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about COFICERT