The table below provides information relating to the geography, the demography and the government of Mauritius.

 

Definition	Information
Geography
Location	Indian Ocean
Continental belonging	Africa (Sub-Saharan)
Time zone	GMT + 04:00
Area	2,040.00 Km2
Capital	Port Louis
Official language	None
Spoken languages	English, French, Hindi and Creole
Demography
Population	1,348,242
Nationality	Mauritian
Ethnic groups	Indo-Mauritian, Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian
Religions	Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim, other Christians and others
Unemployment rate	7.50%
Median age	34.80 years
Population growth rate	0.61%
Birth rate	13.10 / 1,000
Death rate	7.00 / 1,000
Life expectancy	75.60 years
HIV rate (2015)	0.88%
Literacy rate	90.60%
Government
Type	Parliamentary Republic
Administrative divisions	9 districts and 3 dependencies
Independence	12 March 1968
Republic	12 March 1992
Constitution	Adopted in 1968 and amended in 2015
Citizenship	By birth, descent, naturalisation and dual
Suffrage	18 years of age
Head of State	Prime Minister
Chief of State	President
Government branches	Executive, legislative and judicial
National anthem	The Motherland
National emblem	The Dodo bird
Flag colours	Red, blue, yellow and green in four superposed horizontal lines

Source: The Central Intelligence World Fact book (2016 data unless otherwise specified) and the Mauritius Central Statistics Office (2016 data unless otherwise specified).

The table below provides information relating to the economy of Mauritius.

 

Definition	Information
Economy
Currency	Mauritian Rupee (Rs. or MUR)
GDP per capita (US$)	$ 20,500.00
Gross national savings – % of GDP	15.80%
GDP (US$ billions)	12.16
GDP growth rate (annual)	3.70%
Inflation – GDP deflator	2.20%
Services – value added % of GDP	73.90%
Industry – value added % of GDP	22.10%
Agriculture – value added % of GDP	4.00%
Exports of goods and services – % of GDP	49.00%
Import of goods and services – % of GDP	59.00%
Gross capital formation – % of GDP	17.00%
Revenue excluding grants – % of GDP	20.60%
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) – % of GDP	-3.20%

Source: The World Bank (2016 data unless otherwise specified), the Central Intelligence World Fact book (2016 data unless otherwise specified) and the Mauritius Central Statistics Office (2016 data unless otherwise specified).

The Global Business sector in Mauritius is primarily overseen by the four (4) government bodies listed below:

• The Financial Services Commission of Mauritius

The Financial Services Commission (the “FSC”) is the regulatory authority responsible for the regulation, supervision and inspection of all financial services other than banking in Mauritius. The FSC operates under the tutelage of the Mauritius Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (the “MFED”).

Website: https://www.fscmauritius.org/en

• The Corporate and Business Registration Department

The Corporate and Business Registration Department of Mauritius (the “CBRD” or “ROC”– Registrar of Companies, as it is often referred to locally) is the government office responsible for the incorporation, registration and striking off of legal entities in Mauritius and operates under the tutelage of the MFED.

Website: http://companies.govmu.org/English/Pages/default.aspx

• The Mauritius Revenue Authority

The Mauritius Revenue Authority (the “MRA”) is the revenue authority of the Government of Mauritius and operates under the tutelage of the MFED. The MRA is responsible for the assessment of liability, the collection and accountability of taxes and the management, operation and enforcement of revenue laws.

Website: http://www.mra.mu/

• The Board of Investment

The Board of Investment of Mauritius (the “BOI”) is the national investment promotion agency of the Government of Mauritius. Its primary functions are to promote and facilitate investments in Mauritius. The BOI is the first point of contact for investors willing to explore business opportunities in Mauritius and also oversees the issue of residence and work permits.

Website: http://www.investmauritius.com/

Mauritius is recognised on the world stage by international organisations and regulatory bodies as a jurisdiction which offers and strives for continuous improvements in its “ease of doing business” regime. Based on numerous internationally recognised classifications as per the table below, Mauritius is regarded as a leading jurisdiction for channelling investments across the globe.

 

Index	Global Rank	Africa Rank
Work Bank Doing Business 2017	49 out of 190 countries	1st
Global Competitive Index 2016-2017	45 out of 138 countries	1st
Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 (Transparency International)	50 out of 176 countries	3rd
International Property Rights Index 2016	34 out of 128 countries	3rd
Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance 2016	–	1st
Press Freedom Index 2016 (Reporters without Borders)	61 out of 180 countries	8th
The A.T. Kearney Global Services Location Index 2016	30 out 50 countries	3rd
2017 Index of Economic Freedom (Heritage Foundation)	21 out of 180 countries	1st
Economic Freedom of the World 2016	5 out of 159 countries	1st
Human Development Index 2016	64 out of 188 countries	2nd
Democracy Index 2016 – Economist Intelligence Unit (Full Democracy)	18 out of 167 countries	1st
Knowledge Economy Index 2012	62 out of 145 countries	1st
Global Enabling Trade Report 2016	39 out of 136 countries	1st
Environmental Performance Index 2016	77 out of 180 countries	1st
Mercer’s 2016 Quality of Living Survey	83 out of 230 countries	1st
E-government development Index 2016	58 out of 193 countries	1st
Global Information Technology Report 2016	49 out of 139 countries	1st
Forbes Survey of Best Countries for Business 2017	39 out of 139 countries	1st
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness 2017	55 out of 136 countries	2nd
Social Progress Index 2016	40 out of 133 countries	1st

Source: The Board of Investment of Mauritius.

The banking industry in Mauritius is comprised of twenty-three (23) commercial and investment banks and is characterised by a diverse range of services provided by each individual bank. The Bank of Mauritius is the regulatory supervisory body for all commercial and investment banks in Mauritius which are listed below:

1. AfrAsia Bank Limited;
2. Barclays Bank Mauritius Limited;
3. SBM Bank (Mauritius) Ltd;
4. The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd;
5. Bank One Limited;
6. HSBC Bank (Mauritius) Ltd;
7. Standard Chartered Bank (Mauritius) Limited;
8. Investec Bank (Mauritius) Limited;
9. Standard Bank (Mauritius) Limited;
10. SBI Bank (Mauritius) Ltd;
11. MauBank Ltd;
12. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited;
13. Banque des Mascareignes Ltée;
14. Deutsche Bank (Mauritius) ltd;
15. Bank of Baroda Limited;
16. ABC Banking Corporation Limited;
17. Warwyck Bank Limited;
18. BanyanTree Bank Limited;
19. Habib Bank Limited;
20. Bank of China (Mauritius) Limited;
21. PT Bank Maybank Indonesia;
22. Century Banking Corporation; and
23. Banque Privée de Fleurie Limited.

Source: The Bank of Mauritius.

Disclaimer: AAMIL partners with the above-mentioned banks (the “Bank(s)”) with regard to the bank account opening applications procedures of its various clients and their incorporated entities. AAMIL is neither a subsidiary, branch nor affiliate of any Banks. Each Bank has its own on-boarding and client acceptance procedures and criteria which AAMIL does not influence nor control.