🇨🇲 Sending to Cameroon¶
CM · CMR · +237 · CEMAC
FATF grey list IBAN optional SWIFT BIC required
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FATF Increased Monitoring
This jurisdiction is on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring. FATF does not call for enhanced due diligence on that basis, but asks institutions to take the listing into account in their risk analysis.
Required information¶
For your end users
CEMAC country: payments > 5M XAF must be deposited at a local authorized intermediary. Payments > 100M XAF require BEAC central-bank approval - expect documentation delays.
Last reviewed by GIB compliance on 2026-05-20. Reference material only.
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Currency
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Typical settlement
1-2 business days under 5M XAF; 5+ days for amounts requiring BEAC approval (>100M XAF).
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SWIFT BIC
Required
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Local clearing
SYGMA / SYSTAC (BEAC)
Account format¶
How beneficiary account numbers are structured for Cameroon. Failure to match this format is the single most common reason wires are rejected at the destination.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Format tier | IBAN optional (recommended) |
| Length | 23 digits (national); IBAN form is 27 chars (CM + 25) |
| Validation regex | ^(CM[0-9]{2})?[0-9]{23}$ |
| Example | CM2110002000300277976315008 |
IBAN Composition
| Component | Length | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Country Code | 2 | CM |
| Check Digits | 2 | 12 |
| Bank Code | 5 | 34567 |
| Branch Code | 5 | 89123 |
| Account Number | 11 | 45678912345 |
| Control Characters | 2 | 67 |
Routing identifiers¶
Which routing codes the wire-creation API call must include for Cameroon.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| SWIFT BIC | Required |
| None | Optional |
| Local clearing | SYGMA / SYSTAC (BEAC) |
Address format¶
How Cameroon expects the beneficiary address to appear on the wire. Free-form variations frequently trigger compliance holds.
- Addressee
- Street Number and Name
- Locality
- Country
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Postal code | Optional — this country has no postal code format |
Counterparty fields¶
Party details the destination expects on the beneficiary. Mandatory fields are required by the destination; recommended fields reduce the chance of a delay or return.
Recommended:
- Beneficiary phone number (
Cdtr/CtctDtls/PhneNb)
Purpose of payment¶
Put the purpose in the remittance information (<RmtInf><Ustrd>) of the ISO 20022 wire-creation request, as the code format below describes.
Requirement: Highly recommended
GIB check: a missing or unexpected purpose is reported as a validation warning; the wire is not held.
Not yet confirmed
We have not yet confirmed this country's purpose-of-payment requirement against a central-bank or correspondent-bank source. Including a purpose is recommended. We update these guides as we confirm each country.
Non-standard element
For Cameroon, the purpose is placed in <RmtInf> (remittance info), not the standard <Purp> element.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Code format | Free-text purpose in words (no code list) |
| Authoritative source | ↗ View source |
Remittance info¶
Extra content the regulator requires inside the free-text remittance field, beyond the purpose-of-payment code.
Required for all incoming transfers; must clearly describe the economic reason.
Compliance triggers¶
Beneficiary tax-ID requirements and rules that activate at certain payment amounts.
| Trigger | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Residency restrictions | Clients may only purchase XAF for payments into the country. |
Operational notes¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| FX minimum (USD) | $100 |
| Currencies accepted | XAF, USD, EUR |
| Typical settlement | 1-2 business days under 5M XAF; 5+ days for amounts requiring BEAC approval (>100M XAF). |
| Banking holidays | ↗ Calendar |
Known issues:
- Not registered in the SWIFT IBAN Registry. The 'CM + 23-char' format is a national BBAN with a country prefix, not a true IBAN - MOD-97 IBAN check-digit validation will not apply.
Common rejection reasons¶
Documented patterns that cause this country's banks to return wires. Universal reasons (sanctions holds, missing BIC) aren't repeated here.
Missing supporting documentation for payments > 100M XAF - BEAC central-bank approval required and not obtained.
Beneficiary not declared at a local authorized intermediary for payments > 5M XAF.
Missing economic-reason purpose statement.
Beneficiary name not matching government-issued ID.
Validate before you send¶
Check identifiers before you submit. The IBAN check runs in your browser (format plus the ISO 13616 MOD-97 check digit). GIB's API checks the IBAN format for countries where an IBAN is required. The BIC lookup searches GIB's BIC directory and needs a dashboard login.
IBAN check
Format: ^(CM[0-9]{2})?[0-9]{23}$ · MOD-97 (ISO 13616) check digit verified locally.
BIC lookup
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References¶
First-party sources — central banks, FX regulators, ISO registries. Always re-verify against these before pushing volume to a new corridor.
Disclaimer
These country guides aggregate information from central banks, regulators, and industry-standard references. Global Innovations Bank reviews them on a rolling cadence and notes the verification date on each page. Payment-corridor rules change between releases, so we cannot guarantee continued accuracy.
Always verify against the primary sources linked in the References section before going live in a new corridor. Re-check applicable sanctions lists (OFAC, EU, UK, UN consolidated, and any state-level requirements) at the time of payment, since designations shift between our refreshes.
For fintech partners on GIB's sponsor-bank rails, these guides do not replace your BSA/AML, KYC, sanctions-screening, or transaction-monitoring obligations under your program agreement with GIB.
Nothing in this material constitutes legal, tax, or regulatory advice, and wire-acceptance decisions remain at the discretion of GIB Compliance and the destination bank.