Your account has been succesfully created.

EN FR

The Morning Brief
Log in

Password

Keep me logged in

Forgot your password?
Subscribe

Mauritius

Blacklisted offshore centre commits to tougher crackdown on operators

Accused by Brussels and FATF of being too lenient on firms active in its offshore ecosystem, Mauritius is trying to clean up its act but in a measured fashion so as not to scare off its traditional clients.

Subscribers only Finance, Business Running story - Mauritius' offshore sector 22.01.2021

Port Louis makes its case behind closed doors against its blacklisting

As it strives to get itself removed as quickly as possible from the EU's money laundering blacklist to which it was added in May 2020, the Mauritian government's efforts are being thwarted by the cumbersome procedures it has to go through. Another meeting with FATF is scheduled for late January.

Free access Finance, Business Running story - Mauritius' offshore sector 21.01.2021

The untold story of Augusta's prefinancing

Although it abruptly ended its off-take contract with Augusta in mid-2020, the Gabonese refinery has continued to reimburse the $250m prefinancing loan the trading house had secured for the country with Mauritius Commercial Bank in 2017. It should settle the last payment this month.

Subscribers only Energy, Business 15.01.2021

Private jet mogul Ameerh Naran's global approach to business

The private jet broker Ameerh Naran has opened a new branch of his Mauritius-based firm to expand into the US while also finding the time to start up a real estate business in London.

Subscribers only Business 05.01.2021

Mauritius ambiguous over sanctions against Swiss-Angolan financier Jean-Claude Bastos

Five years after he was accused of defrauding the Angolan sovereign fund he was managing, Swiss-Angolan financier Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais has finally been banned from managing companies in Mauritius. The sanction was slow in coming and has fallen at a bad time for Mauritius as it faces criticism from the European Union for having failed to take more drastic action against money laundering.

Subscribers only Finance, Business Running story - Mauritius' offshore sector 16.09.2020

Rogers House in Port-Louis, headquarters to the Espitalier-Noë family group, a symbol of the island's financial establishment. © Prodesign/All rights reserved

Spotlight
Axis wants to burst into Mauritian trust market

The Harel family has sold its financial arm to Axis Fiduciary. The young trust company now finds itself up against the families firmly established in offshore finance on the island - Ah-Chuen, Lagesse, Dalais or Espitalier-Noel - as well as stiffer competition from international groups.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 02.09.2020

Luxury safari industry expands its base camp in Mauritius

As the countries of southern and eastern Africa look to resurrect their ailing tourist industries, a leading player in high-end safaris in Africa, Wilderness Safaris, is increasingly using Mauritius as a launchpad for its business ventures.

Subscribers only Business 11.12.2020

Mauritius, China's favourite African backstop

Mindful of how Chinese companies use the island as springboard to the rest of Africa, Mauritius is making the most of its long-standing ties to Beijing. A new Chinese construction firm has set up shop there.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 30.11.2020

Risk capital giant Lightspeed Venture straddles offshore hubs of Singapore and Mauritius

Since the beginning of this month, Lightspeed Venture has been using Mauritius as a springboard for its investments in south-east Asia.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 26.11.2020

Mauritius's offshore financial sector helps plug gap left by collapse of its Lebanese counterpart

Lebanese businessman Atef Hazime set up a company in Mauritius in early November as a way of getting round the paralysis currently afflicting banks in his own country. He is being backed by Portuguese financier João de Gouveia, the economic advisor of the Qatar royal family, and leading African financial services company Loita, where one of the founders is also close to the Al Thanis.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 18.11.2020

Air Côte d'Ivoire finances new plane in Mauritius

Air Côte d'Ivoire plans to finance the purchase of its next plane in Mauritius' offshore financial centre via a company called Cavally created on 28 October.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 06.11.2020

Trusts between Geneva and Port-Louis stay largely unnoticed

The Mauritian ambassador to Geneva, Usha Dwarka-Canabady, and the embassy's economic advisor, Poonam Mohun, took part in the online Swiss-African Business Circle conference on 23 October.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 05.11.2020

Leading fiduciary Vistra strengthens ties with Asian mega-fund BPEA

One of the heavyweights of corporate offshore services, Vistra, has registered Baring Private Equity Asia's new vehicle in Mauritius. By happy coincidence, two of the fund's directors are also directors of Vistra.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 04.11.2020

Mining logistics giant CSTT-AO establishes foothold in Port Louis

Senegalese Transatlantic-West Africa Transport Company is looking to develop brokerage activities from Mauritius, a move that chimes with the island's ambitions to become a major maritime administrative hub.

Subscribers only Mining, Business 30.10.2020

Mauritian offshore finance divides opinions

In late September Tayo Oviosu, the Nigerian boss of one of Africa's leading online payment platforms, Paga, announced that he had relocated his Mauritian offices to the United Kingdom.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 29.10.2020

Next stop Finland - mining magnate Jean-Raymond Boulle goes for gold

Still a big mining player in southern Africa and busy with sugarcane in his native Mauritius, Jean-Raymond Boulle, who did well in a wartorn Congo in the late 1990s, has set up a new company to expand his horizons, seemingly into northern Europe.

Subscribers only Mining, Business 01.10.2020

African financial intelligence exposed by US leaks

The leaking of nearly 2,000 suspicious activity reports that were sent from international banks to FinCen, the US Treasury's financial intelligence unit, has put African intelligence services in a delicate position since a large number concern transactions in Africa.

Subscribers only Finance, Politics 30.09.2020

EU's name and shame fails to ward off US giants

Although the European Union has placed Mauritius under increased monitoring over its counter money laundering measures, US finance behemoths, the likes of Bain and Blackstone are showing no signs of wanting to relocate their offshore offices based on the island.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 29.09.2020

Carlyle sets up new vehicles for Asia and Africa in Mauritius

The decision of the American investment fund to continue domiciling its companies on the island could reassure the financiers and fund managers of Port Louis, who are in the sights of the European Union.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 18.09.2020

Trading giant Trafigura expands Mauritian network

Trafigura, the Singapore-based oil and metals trading giant, opened Gogh Energy Trading in Mauritius on 28 August.

Subscribers only Business 15.09.2020

The well-heeled sponsors of Mauritius' fallen Islamic bank

Closed following a probe by the Mauritian authorities, the country's leading Islamic bank had board members as far flung as Malaysia, the Gulf and the United Kingdom.

Free access Finance, Business 08.09.2020

Businessman Mohamedraza Hassanali extends offshore finance network in Mauritius

Businessman Mohamedraza Hassanali expanded his offshore network in August by setting up a new fund in Mauritius.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 03.09.2020

Wirecard scandal: German online payment giant's Mauritian helpers

As investigations in Germany mount over the online payment giant Wirecard's high-profile bankruptcy, the Mauritian authorities are being dragged into the scandal. The German group used an accounting trick to inflate its revenues by €290m in a single week via structures registered on the island.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 30.07.2020

The deal that inflated wiredcard's earnings.

Zambia cuts mining multinationals from Mauritian base

By repealing its tax treaty with Mauritius at the end of June, Zambia wants to prevent the country's multinational mining companies, such as Glencore, First Quantum or Vedanta, from avoiding local taxes.

Subscribers only Mining 20.07.2020

Luxembourg wants to make the most of EU's red flag for Mauritius

Now that the European Union has decided to blacklist Mauritius over money laundering and terrorist financing concerns, Luxembourg sees an opportunity to attract financial flows destined for Africa.

Subscribers only Finance, Business 07.07.2020

Create a notification

Mauritius

Don't miss a single headline. Sign up to receive weekly summaries of our coverage of Mauritius.

Once registered, you will be notified by a short message on your computer or mobile phone as soon as a new edition of our publication or an alert is published. Stay informed anytime, anywhere!

Senegal
Guns and oil drive Russia's Dakar courtship

Botswana, South Africa
From Gaborone to Antwerp, is De Beers's empire on the rocks?

Mauritius

Blacklisted offshore centre commits to tougher crackdown on operators

Port Louis makes its case behind closed doors against its blacklisting

The untold story of Augusta's prefinancing

Private jet mogul Ameerh Naran's global approach to business

Mauritius ambiguous over sanctions against Swiss-Angolan financier Jean-Claude Bastos

Spotlight
Axis wants to burst into Mauritian trust market

Luxury safari industry expands its base camp in Mauritius

Mauritius, China's favourite African backstop

Risk capital giant Lightspeed Venture straddles offshore hubs of Singapore and Mauritius

Mauritius's offshore financial sector helps plug gap left by collapse of its Lebanese counterpart

Air Côte d'Ivoire finances new plane in Mauritius

Trusts between Geneva and Port-Louis stay largely unnoticed

Leading fiduciary Vistra strengthens ties with Asian mega-fund BPEA

Mining logistics giant CSTT-AO establishes foothold in Port Louis

Mauritian offshore finance divides opinions

Next stop Finland - mining magnate Jean-Raymond Boulle goes for gold

African financial intelligence exposed by US leaks

EU's name and shame fails to ward off US giants

Carlyle sets up new vehicles for Asia and Africa in Mauritius

Trading giant Trafigura expands Mauritian network

The well-heeled sponsors of Mauritius' fallen Islamic bank

Businessman Mohamedraza Hassanali extends offshore finance network in Mauritius

Wirecard scandal: German online payment giant's Mauritian helpers

Zambia cuts mining multinationals from Mauritian base

Luxembourg wants to make the most of EU's red flag for Mauritius

Create a notification

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Indigo Publications' websites

Senegal Guns and oil drive Russia's Dakar courtship

Botswana, South Africa From Gaborone to Antwerp, is De Beers's empire on the rocks?

Africa in the Russia-Ukraine war

East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

The generals waging war from Khartoum to Darfur

Mauritius

Blacklisted offshore centre commits to tougher crackdown on operators

Port Louis makes its case behind closed doors against its blacklisting

The untold story of Augusta's prefinancing

Private jet mogul Ameerh Naran's global approach to business

Mauritius ambiguous over sanctions against Swiss-Angolan financier Jean-Claude Bastos

Spotlight Axis wants to burst into Mauritian trust market

Luxury safari industry expands its base camp in Mauritius

Mauritius, China's favourite African backstop

Risk capital giant Lightspeed Venture straddles offshore hubs of Singapore and Mauritius

Mauritius's offshore financial sector helps plug gap left by collapse of its Lebanese counterpart

Air Côte d'Ivoire finances new plane in Mauritius

Trusts between Geneva and Port-Louis stay largely unnoticed

Leading fiduciary Vistra strengthens ties with Asian mega-fund BPEA

Mining logistics giant CSTT-AO establishes foothold in Port Louis

Mauritian offshore finance divides opinions

Next stop Finland - mining magnate Jean-Raymond Boulle goes for gold

African financial intelligence exposed by US leaks

EU's name and shame fails to ward off US giants

Carlyle sets up new vehicles for Asia and Africa in Mauritius

Trading giant Trafigura expands Mauritian network

The well-heeled sponsors of Mauritius' fallen Islamic bank

Businessman Mohamedraza Hassanali extends offshore finance network in Mauritius

Wirecard scandal: German online payment giant's Mauritian helpers

Zambia cuts mining multinationals from Mauritian base

Luxembourg wants to make the most of EU's red flag for Mauritius

Create a notification

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

Senegal
Guns and oil drive Russia's Dakar courtship

Botswana, South Africa
From Gaborone to Antwerp, is De Beers's empire on the rocks?

Spotlight
Axis wants to burst into Mauritian trust market