What does it take to get a payment switching licence in Kenya?
To hold a payment switching licence in Kenya, you need the To own, possess, operate, manage or control infrastructure for the provision of payment services licence from Central Bank of Kenya. Published timeline: Same general PSP authorisation timings (Reg 5(3) 30-day info request; Reg 5(6) 7-day certificate issue). No switch-specific term. 3 entities currently hold a payment switching licence in Kenya. Full requirements — minimum capital, local presence, timeline, local ownership, fees and ongoing obligations — are set out below in each instrument's own words, with source and date; amounts are in the statute's own currency.
“Payment switching” here is the normalized activity: Own or operate payment switching, routing, clearing or interoperability infrastructure between payment service providers, issuers, acquirers and schemes.
Activity id (as used by the Afriset MCP): fintech:SWITCHING
To own, possess, operate, manage or control infrastructure for the provision of payment services
Central Bank of Kenya| Requirement | As published | Source | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum capital | No such requirement: No separate statutory minimum for a switch/infrastructure operator. The NPS Act 2011 states no capital figure; the NPS Regulations 2014 First Schedule has no switching/infrastructure row — the listed categories are ERPSP, Designated Payment Instrument Issuer (KES 50M), E-money Issuer, Small E-money Issuer. Infrastructure/switching is authorised under the general PSP regime (Reg 4) with no dedicated capital line. | National Payment System Act No. 39 of 2011 | 2023-09-15 |
| Local presence / incorporation | No such requirement: Authorisation applies to "A person, other than an institution as defined in the Act, who wishes to be authorised as a payment service provider" (Reg 4(1)). No switch-specific incorporation clause isolated. | National Payment System Regulations, 2014 (Legal Notice 109 of 2014) | 2022-12-31 |
| Timeline | Same general PSP authorisation timings (Reg 5(3) 30-day info request; Reg 5(6) 7-day certificate issue). No switch-specific term. Verbatim“at least two months prior to the expiry of the authorisation … within thirty days … within seven days of receipt of authorisation fees” | National Payment System Regulations, 2014 (Legal Notice 109 of 2014) | 2022-12-31 |
| Local ownership | No such requirement: No local-shareholding requirement. | National Payment System Regulations, 2014 (Legal Notice 109 of 2014) | 2022-12-31 |
| Fees | No such requirement: No switch-specific fee row in the First Schedule. General PSP application fee is KES 5,000; authorisation fee depends on the category the switch is authorised under. | National Payment System Regulations, 2014 (Legal Notice 109 of 2014) | 2022-12-31 |
| Ongoing obligations | A value has been located but not yet verified, so we don't publish it here. | — | — |
Requirements as published in the cited instruments — not legal or compliance advice. Capital and fees are shown in the currency the statute itself uses. Where a value is located but not yet verified, we show that it exists but don't publish the figure. Verify directly with the regulator.
Who already holds this licence?
3 entities are on the Central Bank of Kenya register under the To own, possess, operate, manage or control infrastructure for the provision of payment services category — view the register .
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