Youverify has become the first RegTech company in Africa to earn ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, the international standard for artificial intelligence management systems. The certification was announced in August 2026.

Where ISO 27001 governs how an organisation protects information, ISO 42001 governs how it manages AI: how systems are assessed for impact before deployment, where human oversight sits in the decision loop, and how the whole apparatus is documented and audited. Youverify’s certification covers AI impact assessments and human oversight across its development process, and aligns its practice with Nigeria’s Data Protection Act, the European Union's AI Act and the GDPR. The company already held ISO 27001 for information security and ISO 27701 for privacy management.

“At Youverify, we believe innovation has to move with governance,” said Gbenga Odegbami, Co-founder and Chief Executive.

In 2024 Youverify ran over 250 million compliance and anti-fraud checks, verified more than 220 million individuals and 30 million businesses, and drew on over 6,000 global data points to do it. Those are decisions about access to financial services, taken at machine speed, on behalf of banks and other financial institutions. 

The timing here is intentional. African regulators are moving towards AI governance requirements, and Youverify’s own compliance alerts have been flagging ISO 42001 to institutions as the emerging baseline. This early certification transforms a coming regulatory obligation into a present advantage.

Congratulations to Gbenga and the Youverify team on being first in the region; an exemplary feat.