New partnership delivers secure KYC, KYB services for West Africa

Digital solutions provider Dital Afrique Telecom (DAT) has partnered with trusted ID verification platform IDCanopy to enable banks, fintechs, microfinance institutions, and other financial firms effectively conduct Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) processes.

A joint announcement from the partners indicates that the system being provided to the financial institutions will make them more compliant with regulations of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).

BCEAO has stringent measures on anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CFT), and customer due diligence (CDD), and the partners believe the integration will help the targeted institutions meet those compliance requirements. These new measures align with the central bank’s Instruction No. 001-03-2025 which call for stronger regulatory steps against AML and CFT, the announcement mentions.

With the system, document verification, biometric authentication, and government-issued digital ID integration will be streamlined, making customer and business onboarding seamless while also reducing the need for human intervention in the KYC and KYB processes.

Per the terms of the collaboration, DAT will combine its “deep regional expertize” with IDCanopy’s “globally recognized” compliance technology to form a platform that integrates “real-time sanction and Politically Exposed Person (PEP) screening, transaction monitoring, and audit trails to meet regulatory reporting standards.”

Simplice Anoh, CEO of DAT, said of the partnership: “In a rapidly digitizing economy, trust and compliance are non-negotiable. By integrating IDCanopy’s proven technology, we empower West African financial institutions to onboard customers faster while fully meeting BCEAO’s rigorous standards. This partnership underscores our commitment to driving financial inclusion without compromising security.”

Bernhard Reiterer, founder and CEO of IDCanopy, also commented: “Our collaboration with DAT bridges European compliance excellence with West Africa’s unique regulatory landscape. Together, we’re setting a new benchmark for secure, scalable KYC solutions that combat financial crime and foster economic growth.”

Other African KYC partnerships like that between Mastercard and Smile ID have also aimed to facilitate secure and trusted onboarding processes across several sectors in several countries on the continent.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  financial services  |  IDCanopy  |  KYB  |  KYC  |  West Africa digital ID