Banque Mauritanienne pour le Commerce International

What Banque Mauritanienne pour le Commerce International does

Banque Mauritanienne pour le Commerce International (BMCI) is the oldest commercial bank in Mauritania, founded in 1974 (originally as BAAM, Banque Arabe Africaine en Mauritanie) and majority-owned by the ABBAS Group at 96.3% following buyouts of the Mauritanian state's 51% stake in 1984 and the Egyptian/AAIB partner's 49% stake by 1986. Headquartered on Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser in Nouakchott with 572 employees, BMCI operates the largest branch network in Mauritania — 52 agencies covering Nouakchott (26), Nouadhibou (5), and all 21 regional capitals — complemented by 54 ATMs and the MASRVI digital wallet distribution network of 1,100+ points of sale and 21,000+ equipped neighborhood merchants. The bank holds Central Bank of Mauritania license LBM N° 3 and ISO 9001:2015 certification (maintained since 2002).

BMCI operates a full-service, hybrid conventional-and-Islamic banking platform with three core delivery layers. The conventional layer includes current and savings accounts, personal and SME lending (VIP credit, study financing, car loans, appliance credit), corporate banking (term loans, leasing, factoring, documentary credits, bank guarantees, overdrafts), and a range of GIMTEL and Visa payment cards. The Islamic finance layer offers a Sharia-compliant suite — Mourabaha (cost-plus financing, for which BMCI won the 'Best Mourabaha' award from Islamic Financial News in Dubai), Ijara (lease-to-own), Istisna'a (manufacturing/construction finance), Essalem/Salam (advance-sale for agriculture and fishing), Qard Hassan (benevolent loan), and Islamic savings and restricted investment accounts — validated by a dedicated Sharia committee. The digital layer comprises the MASRVI digital wallet (launched April 2021), the BMCI MOBILE BANKING mobile application (updated September 2024), BMCI NET internet banking (100 MRU/month subscription), and SMS banking. The MASRVI wallet integrates with eight government and utility billers (SOMELEC, SNDE, MOOV Mauritel, Mattel, Chinguitel, DGI, Trésor Public, Guichet Unique) and serves over 800,000 accounts as of end-2025.

BMCI's revenue is generated primarily through net interest margins on a 15.99 billion MRU customer loan book, net banking income (PNB) of 1.56 billion MRU in 2025 (up 21.25% YoY), fee income on guarantees (800 MRO per application), leasing, factoring, and documentary credits, and transaction-based revenue from MASRVI merchant payments and bill settlements. Customer segments span retail individuals, SMEs and professionals, large enterprises, institutional/government clients, Mauritanian residents abroad (via the MRE account pack, SIGUE network, and BDE partnership in France), and humanitarian organizations (notably the World Food Programme under a January 2024 cooperation agreement). The bank maintains correspondent banking relationships with NATIXIS, Société Générale, BBVA, BRED Banque, ODDO BHF, and other international banks for cross-border trade services. BMCI is privately held (no public ticker), family-controlled, and currently executing a Strategic Plan 2023-2027 focused on digital transformation under a dedicated Transformation Office.

Name

Banque Mauritanienne pour le Commerce International

Legal name

Banque Mauritanienne pour le Commerce International

Website

https://bmci.mr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BMCI is Mauritania's oldest commercial bank (founded 1974), majority-owned by the ABBAS Group. It provides retail, corporate, institutional, Islamic, and digital banking through 52 branches and the MASRVI digital wallet, serving individuals, SMEs, enterprises, and diaspora clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021)

akta.pro primary industry

Islamic Corporate Banking (FSABAGAC)

Keywords

• Commercial banking services
• Islamic finance products
• Retail banking services
• Digital wallet services
• Trade finance products

Headquarters

HQ city

Nouakchott

HQ country

Mauritania

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Net Banking Income (PNB): Net banking income of 1,557,620,301 MRU in 2025 (up 21.25% from 1,284,662,310 MRU in 2024). This encompasses interest income from lending, commission income from banking services, and margins from Islamic financing products.
2. Islamic Finance - Mourabaha: Murabaha financing where BMCI purchases goods from a supplier and resells to the customer with an agreed profit margin. The bank secured a $3.8 million Murabaha financing from ITFC (Islamic Development Bank group subsidiary) and received the 'Best Mourabaha' award from Islamic Financial News in Dubai.
3. Corporate Banking Products: Leasing, factoring, documentary credits, bank guarantees, overdraft facilities, cash advance facilities, and term deposits generating fee income and interest margins for corporate and institutional clients.
4. Retail Banking Products: Individual accounts (checking and savings), personal loans (VIP credit, vacation credit, holiday advance, study financing, car loans, appliance credit, Hajj/Umra Mourabaha), banking cards (GIMTEL, Visa), and insurance products.
5. Digital Wallet - MASRVI: MASRVI digital wallet generates revenue through merchant payment transactions, bill payments (electricity, water, telecom), and recharge commissions. The wallet serves over 800,000 accounts with 2,500+ partner merchants and 21,000+ equipped neighborhood merchants as of end of 2025.
6. Bank Guarantees and Documentary Credits: Issuance of bank guarantees for tenders, customs duties deferral, and project execution, generating fee income (application fees of 800 MRO per guarantee). Documentary credits for import/export risk mitigation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BMCI is a full-service universal bank in Mauritania providing current and savings accounts, personal and corporate lending, leasing, factoring, documentary credits, bank guarantees and trade finance for individuals, SMEs, large enterprises and institutional clients. It also operates an Islamic banking arm with Sharia-compliant products (Mourabaha, Ijara, Istisna'a, Essalem, Islamic savings, CINPR) and a digital banking ecosystem anchored by the MASRVI wallet, BMCI NET internet banking, BMCI MOBILE BANKING app and SMS banking. Distribution is through 52 branches, 54 ATMs, an MASRVI agent network and a BDE partnership serving the Mauritanian diaspora in France.

Product overview

BMCI is a full-service Mauritanian bank offering a broad portfolio spanning conventional retail and corporate banking, Islamic finance products, and digital banking. Its core conventional offerings include individual and business current/savings accounts (with debit cards, SMS banking, and internet banking via BMCI NET), personal and business lending, overdraft and guarantee facilities, leasing, factoring, and invoice discounting. Its Islamic finance arm (Produits Islamiques) provides Sharia-compliant products including Mourabaha (cost-plus financing), Istisna'a (construction/manufacturing finance), Ijara (lease-to-own), and Essalem/Salam (advance-sale financing for agriculture and fishing), alongside Islamic savings and restricted investment accounts. BMCI's digital banking platform Masrvi (launched April 2021) functions as a digital wallet and full digital bank accessible via app and approved agents nationwide, supporting payments, transfers, bill settlement, and account management. For non-residents abroad, dedicated MRE packs, housing finance, and a BDE partnership in France are available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MASRVI Digital Bank
• BMCI NET Internet Banking
• BMCI MOBILE BANKING Application
• SMS Banking
• Pack Particuliers (Individual Account Pack)
• Pack Compte Entreprises (Business Account Pack)
• Pack Compte MRE (Non-Resident / Diaspora Account Pack)
• Crédit aux Particuliers (Personal Credit Suite)
• Épargne et Placement (Savings and Investment)
• Cartes Bancaires (Bank Cards)
• Mourabaha (Islamic Cost-Plus Financing)
• Ijara (Islamic Lease-to-Own)
• Istisna'a (Islamic Manufacturing/Construction Finance)
• Essalem / Salam (Islamic Advance-Sale Financing)
• Compte Épargne Islamique (Islamic Savings Account)
• CINPR (Compte d'Investissement Restreint / Restricted Investment Account)
• DAT – Dépôt à Terme (Term Deposit)
• Facilité de Caisse (Overdraft Facility)
• Découvert (Annual Overdraft)
• Cautions (Bank Guarantees)
• Leasing (Conventional Lease-to-Own for Businesses)

Quantifiable outcome

• Total assets grew 18.12% to 29.5 billion MRU in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• World Food Programme (WFP) MauritaniaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2024BMCI signed a cooperation agreement with the World Food Programme office in Mauritania regarding a tender announcement process. The agreement is part of implementing money transfer operations for vulnerable population groups, aiming to provide digital payments and sustainable financial services. The partnership was formalized following a workshop on January 17, 2024 where interaction modalities between WFP and BMCI were determined.
• BDE (Banque de la Diaspora Espagnole)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBMCI partnered with BDE in France to support Mauritanian residents abroad. Through this partnership, BDE offers services to BMCI customers: cash deposits in euros credited in Ouguiyas to BMCI accounts, card transfers for BMCI account credit, and receipt of transfers from BDE clients for BMCI account credit or cash payments at BMCI branches.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Coris Bank International: Coris Bank International is a West African banking group headquartered in Burkina Faso with expanding regional footprint. It is a regional peer comparable in business model (retail + corporate + digital) and customer segments (SME and diaspora).
• Banque Sahélo-Saharienne pour l'Investissement et le Commerce (BSIC): BSIC is a regional bank operating across Sahelian and Saharan Africa with a strong Islamic-banking orientation. It is a regional peer competing for Islamic-banking customers and correspondent banking flows in Mauritania's broader neighborhood.

Direct peers

• Banque Islamique de Mauritanie (BIM): BIM is a Mauritanian bank specialized in Islamic finance, offering Sharia-compliant retail and corporate products. It is a direct competitor specifically for BMCI's award-winning Islamic banking franchise (Mourabaha, Ijara, Istisna'a).
• Banque Populaire de Mauritanie (BPM): BPM is one of the leading commercial banks in Mauritania, offering retail, SME and corporate banking products in the same market as BMCI. It is a direct competitor for deposit gathering, lending and Islamic banking in Mauritania.
• Société Générale de Banques en Mauritanie (SGBM): SGBM is the Mauritanian subsidiary of Société Générale group, offering full-service retail, corporate and trade-finance banking. It is a direct competitor for corporate banking, FX and correspondent relationships within Mauritania.
• Banque Atlantique Mauritanie: Banque Atlantique Mauritanie is the Mauritanian subsidiary of Attijariwafa bank, providing retail, corporate and Islamic banking in Mauritania. It is a direct competitor backed by Moroccan regional scale advantages.
• Banque pour le Commerce et l'Industrie (BCI) Mauritanie: BCI Mauritanie is a domestic commercial bank serving retail and corporate clients across Mauritania. It is a direct competitor for branch-network banking, SME lending and trade-finance products.

Emerging players

• Al Baraka Banking Group: Al Baraka is a Bahrain-based Islamic banking group with African operations. It is an emerging competitor in Islamic trade finance and Sharia-compliant corporate banking that overlaps with BMCI's award-winning Islamic franchise.

Broad incumbents

• Attijariwafa Bank: Attijariwafa Bank is the largest Moroccan bank with pan-African operations, including Mauritania (via Banque Atlantique). It is a broad incumbent that competes with BMCI in corporate banking, trade finance and increasingly in digital banking across the region.
• Bank of Africa (BMCE): Bank of Africa (formerly BMCE Bank) is a pan-African bank headquartered in Morocco with operations across West Africa. It is a broad incumbent that competes with BMCI in correspondent banking, large-corporate finance and digital remittances.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/masrvi.mr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/banque-mauritanienne-pour-le-commerce-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/bmci.mr
• TikToktiktok.com/@bmci.mr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Banque Mauritanienne pour le Commerce International