(Ecofin Agency) - • IFC plans to grant a $30 million loan to Banque El Amana, pending June 2025 board approval.
• The funding will increase credit access for MSMEs, with 25% earmarked for women-led businesses.
• The project includes a risk evaluation and follows BEA’s recent $11.25 million trade finance deal.

Mauritania’s Banque El Amana (BEA) is expected to secure a $30 million loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, to expand its lending to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly those owned or led by women.

The five-year senior loan, which includes a one-year grace period, is pending final approval at the IFC board meeting scheduled for June 16, 2025. The funding is part of an effort to address persistent credit access challenges for MSMEs in Mauritania, a sector that plays a key role in economic development yet remains underfinanced. According to the IFC, 25% of the facility will be reserved specifically for women-led MSMEs.

Ahead of the loan disbursement, the IFC plans to conduct a comprehensive risk management assessment of BEA, including an analysis of climate-related risks. Based on this evaluation, a customized advisory and risk mitigation plan will be proposed to address institutional gaps and support the bank’s operational strengthening.

BEA, a family-owned commercial bank founded in 1996, is currently the tenth largest bank in Mauritania by assets. The institution is majority-owned by Ahmed Salem Bouna Moctar and is actively pursuing an expansion strategy to broaden its footprint in the local financial sector.

Earlier in May 2025, BEA signed a €10 million trade finance guarantee line with Proparco, the private sector financing arm of the French Development Agency. That deal, equivalent to $11.25 million, marked a key step in the bank’s push to expand its international partnerships and trade finance capacity.

If the IFC loan is approved, it would further strengthen BEA’s ability to support Mauritanian businesses and deepen its engagement with underserved market segments.