Regional - Attijariwafa Bank - Partnership for Trade Development in Africa

The project consists of a partnership between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Attijariwafa Bank (AWB) for the development of trade in Africa in the form of a EUR 10 million unfinanced Risk Participation Agreement (RPA) under which both banks agree to share the default risk on a portfolio of eligible trade transactions initiated by African issuing banks (IBs). AWB SA is a Moroccan banking group and a Pan-African multinational based in Casablanca, born of the merger between Banque Commerciale du Maroc founded in 1911 (private bank deemed the first in Morocco) and Wafabank in 2003. The Bank’s share of risk will be at most 50% for every transaction except for five (5) IBs from Mauritania and Guinea-Conakry (Mauritania: Banque pour le commerce et l'industrie et Banque populaire de Mauritanie || Guinea Conakry: Banque Islamique Guinée, Orabank, and Banque pour le commerce et l’industrie) where coverage may be up to 75%. Under this Agreement, AWB will place TF resources at the disposal of local banks in Africa and guarantee their financing commitments by confirming their letters of credit (L/C). AfDB will then guarantee up to a maximum of 50% of the value of these transactions confirmed by AWB. This mechanism will serve to guarantee obligations arising from TF instruments such as credit confirmation letters, acceptance letters, export loans (pre-shipment), import loans, the financing of export and import bills, warranty cards, etc. The RPA ceiling will be in EUR, but related transactions can be either in EUR or USD. The duration of the mechanism will be 3 years and the maturity of each transaction cannot exceed 2 years, mindful that most transactions will be for 90 days, in line with standard practice in TF operations.