• Mauritius is an island off the east coast of Africa located in the Indian Ocean.
• Mauritius has a population of over 1.3 million and has significant cultural links with Africa, India, China, South East Asia, France and the United Kingdom.
• Mauritius had been a French colony (from 1715 until 1810) and a British colony (from 1810 until 1968, when Mauritius obtained its independence).
• Mauritius has developed its financial services industry since 1992.
• As well as the financial services industry, there are vibrant local industries - mainly in the sectors of agro-business, manufacturing, construction, logistics, ocean economy, ICT, Textiles, Tourism, real estate and hospitality.
• The Mauritius International Financial Centre (IFC) is a jurisdiction of substance for the emerging markets of Africa and Asia.
• Mauritius has a network of double taxation avoidance treaties and Investment Protection Promotion Agreements including India, China, Thailand, Singapore and other Asian countries, countries in Africa and countries in Europe.  This makes Mauritius an excellent financial services jurisdiction to structure both inbound and outbound investments between Africa and Asia.
• Mauritius has modern and flexible corporate and commercial laws.
• Mauritius has a convenient time zone for business in the West or the East.  Mauritius is GMT +4.
• There are no exchange controls in Mauritius.
• Mauritius has an excellent infrastructure to support the financial services industry.  There are regular international flights, modern office premises, sophisticated telecommunication facilities and highly trained and motivated professionals in business, law, accountancy, tax and finance.
• A number of international banks have substantial offices in Mauritius - including HSBC Bank, ABSA Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Standard Bank, Bank of China, Investec Bank.
• The leading international accountancy and audit firms operate in Mauritius - including Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PwC, KPMG, Mazars, BDO and so on.
• Mauritius is bi-lingual (French and English).  This greatly assists in doing business with African countries.

The Financial Services Commission

The Financial Services Commission (the “Commission”) is established under the Financial Services Act 2007.

The Commission regulates financial services and global business activities in Mauritius (other than banking business which is regulated by the Bank of Mauritius).

The Commission promotes the development, efficiency, transparency and stability of financial and capital markets in Mauritius whilst ensuring the protection of investors and consumers.

The Commission makes rules, sets standards and issues guidelines to regulate the financial services sector and global business.

The Commission grants licences to persons in order to conduct regulated business activity.

The website of the Commission is: www.fscmauritius.org

The Financial Intelligence Unit

The Financial Intelligence Unit (“FIU”) is established under the Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2002.

The FIU is the central national agency responsible for requesting, receiving, analysing and disseminating to the competent authorities, disclosures of financial information concerning the suspected proceeds of crime, alleged money laundering offences and the potential financing of terrorism.

The FIU also issues guidelines to banks, financial institutions, cash dealers and members of the relevant professions concerning the reporting of suspicious transactions.
The website of the FIU is: www.fiumauritius.org

The Companies Registry

The Companies Registry is a government office which administers the Companies Act 2001, the Business Registration Act 2002, the Insolvency Act 2009 and the Limited Partnership Act 2011.

It is responsible for the incorporation, registration and liquidation of companies and the registration of documents that must be filed under the Companies Act 2001.

The website of the Registrar of Companies is: http://companies.govmu.org