Basel II/III CEMAC maturity · COBAC prudential framework
Your Basel II/III CEMAC prudential framework, measured by theme and turned into a costed action plan.
10 themes, a 5-level scale. And the action that moves each level to the next.
The framework’s 10 themes, already written from L1 to L5. One company, one business unit, or 300 at once.
Basel II/III CEMAC maturity · COBAC prudential framework
10 themes, 5-level scale.
Nordhavn Industries
53 / 100
They measure their maturity with Datamensio
An example
This could be your situation.
Take one company as an example: three sites, three spreadsheets, no shared answer.
Nobody can consolidate.
Nordhavn Industries, 2,400 people in Hamburg, Lyon and Porto. A client asks where the group stands. Each site answers in its own spreadsheet, with its own scales.
Three weeks, a single base.
One COBAC regulations transposing Basel II/III in the CEMAC zone assessment launched across all three sites at once, from the managers’ interview notes. The framework was already written, its 10 themes and levels L1 to L5 too.
Two costs avoided before being committed.
A score of 53 out of 100, with the gap concentrated on three themes. The AI companion spotted that two actions duplicated those of another audit. The committee report took one sentence to request.
What it saved them
- 3sites measured on the same base, instead of three questionnaires to reconcile
- 2duplicate actions caught before the spend
- 1committee report, with no manual rework
These figures are an example. They could be yours.
The standard imposes processes. Datamensio says where you stand.
01
The framework is already written
Themes, questions and levels L1 to L5, all written. You do not start from an empty spreadsheet.
02
The score lands the same day
Online, by self-assessment link or in interview. Theme by theme, comparable over time.
03
The gap becomes a costed plan
Every step up carries its action. The AI prioritises on expected effect, not on the order of the standard.
04
Progress can be demonstrated
Campaign after campaign, against your target and against your own past. That is what your board asks for.
The maturity scale
One level, the next, and the action that links the two.
This mechanism, a level, the next level up, and the action linking the two, is what turns a finding into a trajectory.
Are connected counterparty groups identified and monitored for the application of concentration limits?
- N1
No identification of links between counterparties. Exposures are monitored counterparty by counterparty.
- N2
The most obvious ownership links are identified at origination, with no written rule and no review once the facility is in place.
- N3
An aggregation rule is documented and applied to the main exposures. Groups are recorded in the system and reviewed periodically.
- N4
Aggregation covers the whole portfolio, including economic links and related parties. Breaches are detected automatically and escalated to the risk committee.
- N5
The rule is revised as the portfolio and supervisor observations evolve, with documented tracking of revisions and impact simulations before origination.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Formalise the rule for identifying connected counterparty groups, embed it in the origination file and the third-party register of the information system, then review the top twenty exposures at the risk committee for the next quarterly reporting date.
« With Datamensio, we meet our objectives far more efficiently. The ERDF inspection services and our supervising ministry particularly appreciated an approach that gives them reliable data. »
Director, CCI 94CCI Île-de-France
« We believe this is the most suitable solution to scale our transformation project and measure impact according to our needs. »
Maja SucekChief Operating Officer, Interreg Danube
Rarely on its own
Frameworks combine. Put several together to cover your business, or have the AI write yours.
Take your first measurementon COBAC.
What this framework covers
The COBAC prudential framework governs credit institutions across the six CEMAC states. It follows the Basel architecture: quantitative requirements on regulatory capital, the solvency ratio, coverage of credit, market and operational risk, risk concentration limits and liquidity. It adds a qualitative dimension: governance of administrative and management bodies, permanent and periodic control functions, risk management, and a transparency strand carried by prudential reporting to the regional supervisor.
In practice, the framework is hard to steer because it sits at the junction of several departments. Ratios are produced by finance, risk data by the business lines, control arrangements by internal control. The same practical questions keep coming back: is the reported capital based on documented, reproducible restatements from one reporting date to the next? Are large exposures identified at the level of the connected counterparty group, or counterparty by counterparty? Is prudential reporting rebuilt at every deadline, or produced by a stable, controlled chain?
A common confusion is worth flagging: meeting a ratio is not the same as controlling the risk it measures. An institution can post a solvency ratio above the threshold while relying on unreliable loan classification, late provisioning or manually aggregated exposures. The gradual shift from a declarative logic to a framework logic, with a formalised risk appetite, stress tests and an internal capital adequacy assessment, moves the requirement towards the quality of the process, not just the published figure.
The maturity assessment answers a different question than prudential supervision. Supervision asks: is the ratio met, is the requirement satisfied. The assessment asks: what level of control does each building block of the framework sit at, and what specific action moves it up a level. It grants no approval and does not replace the supervisor’s on-site inspection. It prepares, it evidences, it prioritises.
Within Datamensio, the framework is ready to use. You can also adapt it to your institution: the AI adjusts the themes, questions and levels according to the CMMI method, or builds a bespoke version from your own procedures, internal instructions and prudential returns.
Reference standard: COBAC regulations transposing Basel II/III in the CEMAC zone
The themes assessed
Regulatory capital
Composition of core and supplementary capital, deductions and restatements, documentation of calculations, traceability between accounting and returns, capital trajectory projection.
Solvency ratio and risk coverage
Calculation of requirements for credit, market and operational risk, weightings applied, quality of exposure data, safety margins above thresholds.
Risk concentration and large exposures
Identification of connected counterparty groups, individual and aggregate limits, monitoring of breaches, sector and geographic concentration, exposures to related parties.
Credit risk and asset quality
Lending policy, loan classification, provisioning, monitoring of non-performing loans, collateral and its valuation, restructurings.
Liquidity risk and transformation
Liquidity ratio, monitoring of cash flow mismatches, diversification of funding sources, dependence on volatile deposits, contingency funding plan.
Operational risk
Process and risk mapping, incident and loss data collection, business continuity plan, control of outsourced activities.
Governance and risk appetite
Role of the governing body, specialised committees, independence of control functions, formalisation of risk appetite and translation into operating limits.
Internal control and control arrangements
Coordination of the three lines of control, control plans, tracking of internal audit recommendations and supervisor follow-up, reporting to the audit committee.
Prudential reporting and data quality
COBAC returns production chain, consistency checks, deadline compliance, audit trail, management of corrections and after-the-fact restatements.
Stress testing and internal capital adequacy
Scenarios used, severity and frequency of exercises, alignment with the business plan, use of results in capital allocation decisions.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Does the assessment replace a COBAC inspection?
No. The regional supervisor conducts its own desk-based and on-site checks, and only it assesses compliance with the regulations. The assessment measures the maturity of your framework and prepares for that milestone by identifying gaps before they are flagged.
What is the difference between this assessment and a prudential compliance audit?
An audit concludes with a compliant or non-compliant finding against a requirement. The assessment places each practice on a progressive scale and identifies the action that moves it up a level. The two are complementary: the assessment prioritises the effort, the audit validates the result.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in a single working session. The full version involves several contributors, finance, risk, internal control and IT, and typically takes one to two weeks. Most of the time goes into gathering evidence.
Can the framework be adapted to our institution?
Yes. You can change the questions, levels and themes, or build a version tailored to your profile, universal bank, microfinance institution or group subsidiary. The AI generates this version from your internal procedures and you keep full control of it.
Can several CEMAC subsidiaries be compared?
Yes. The same framework applies to each entity and scores can be compared by theme, across business units and against previous assessments. A cross-entity roadmap consolidates subsidiary action plans and avoids duplicating the same work.
How is the action plan costed?
Every gap between the current score and the target generates an action. The service catalogue matches a solution to each action, with its cost, timeframe and impact on the score. The AI then groups these actions into a prioritised roadmap.
Does this assessment also cover AML/CFT and governance?
The prudential framework includes a governance and internal control strand, covered here. Anti-money laundering sits under a separate body of rules, covered by a dedicated framework. The two assessments come together in a shared roadmap.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, with OVH, backed up with Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including European solutions.