IMF Staff Country Reports

Islamic Republic of Mauritania: Selected Issues

December 20, 2024

Download PDF More Formats on IMF eLibrary Order a Print Copy
More formats on IMF eLibrary Order a Print Copy

Preview Citation

Format: Chicago

International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept. "Islamic Republic of Mauritania: Selected Issues", IMF Staff Country Reports 2024, 363 (2024), accessed May 22, 2025, https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400296963.002

Export Citation

  • ProCite
  • RefWorks
  • Reference Manager
  • BibTex
  • Zotero
  • EndNote

Also available in: français

Summary

The paper explores the financial development landscape in Mauritania, highlighting its bank-centric structure and limited financial market development. Despite a large number of banks, financial intermediation remains weak, with low private-sector credit to GDP, limited financial inclusion, and persistently high non-performing loan ratios. Structural challenges, including governance issues, connected lending practices, and insufficient financial infrastructure, exacerbate these inefficiencies. The paper introduces the Efficiency-Access and Depth Gap (EADG) metric, revealing a significant imbalance between profitability and financial intermediation/inclusion efforts among Mauritanian banks. Policy recommendations focus on consolidating the banking sector, enhancing regulatory frameworks, and fostering mobile banking and financial inclusion strategies to address these challenges. The findings underline the critical need for robust institutional reforms and stronger capital bases to support economic growth and improve financial intermediation in Mauritania.

Subject: Credit, Economic sectors, Financial inclusion, Financial markets, Financial Sector, Financial sector development, Financial services, Money

Keywords: Bank Private-Sector, Banks' provision, Credit, Credit to GDP, Efficiency-Access and Depth Gap, Financial inclusion, Financial sector, Financial sector development, Intermediation proxy, North Africa

Publication Details

You May Also Be Interested In...

Republic of Kosovo: Fourth Reviews Under the Stand-By Arrangement and the Arrangement Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Republic of Kosovo

May 21, 2025

Extension of the Period for Consent to Increase Quotas under the Sixteenth General Review of Quotas and to the NAB Rollback

May 16, 2025

Nowcasting Real GDP in Samoa

May 16, 2025

St. Kitts and Nevis: 2025 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for St. Kitts and Nevis

May 13, 2025