What does it take to get an e-money licence in Namibia?
To hold an e-money licence in Namibia, you need the Electronic Money (E-Money) participant licence from Bank of Namibia. Published ongoing obligations: Pooled e-money / user funds must at all times equal at least 100% of outstanding liabilities, reconciled daily with any deficiency addressed within one business day — the pooled-funds safeguarding obligation. 9 entities currently hold an e-money licence in Namibia. 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.
“E-money issuance” here is the normalized activity: Issue stored-value / electronic money redeemable at par and hold the customer float. The category of licence that lets a provider keep customers' money.
Activity id (as used by the Afriset MCP): fintech:EMONEY_ISSUE
Electronic Money (E-Money) participant
Bank of Namibia| Requirement | As published | Source | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum capital | Not officially published: The initial capital amount is set by the Bank in the "Payment System Notice", which is not published on the public web — the requirement is delegated to a separate instrument the regulator does not host (PSD-1 10.6.1; PSD-3 8.4/11.1.1 delegate identically). No official figure is published. | Determination PSD-1 — Licensing and Authorisation of Payment Service Providers in Namibia (Payment System Management Act, 2023; GG No. 8822, GN No. 1, effective on publication; repeals the 2024 PSD-1) — para 7 (application/authorisation), 8.6 (categories), 10.6 (capital), 12.2 (safeguarding) | 2026-01-06 |
| Local presence / incorporation | A value has been located but not yet verified, so we don't publish it here. | — | — |
| Timeline | No such requirement: PSD-1 sets no statutory end-to-end regulator decision window for a licensing application; on provisional authorisation the Bank may impose conditions to be met within three (3) months (a conditions window, not a regulator decision SLA). | Determination PSD-1 — Licensing and Authorisation of Payment Service Providers in Namibia (Payment System Management Act, 2023; GG No. 8822, GN No. 1, effective on publication; repeals the 2024 PSD-1) — para 7 (application/authorisation), 8.6 (categories), 10.6 (capital), 12.2 (safeguarding) | 2026-01-06 |
| Local ownership | No such requirement: The Payment System Management Act, 2023 and PSD-1 impose no local-shareholding or nationality cap on a non-bank payment service provider. | Determination PSD-1 — Licensing and Authorisation of Payment Service Providers in Namibia (Payment System Management Act, 2023; GG No. 8822, GN No. 1, effective on publication; repeals the 2024 PSD-1) — para 7 (application/authorisation), 8.6 (categories), 10.6 (capital), 12.2 (safeguarding) | 2026-01-06 |
| Fees | Not officially published: The non-refundable application fee is charged "as prescribed in the Regulations" and the licence fee is "as determined by the Bank in the Payment System Notice" — no official figure is published. | Determination PSD-1 — Licensing and Authorisation of Payment Service Providers in Namibia (Payment System Management Act, 2023; GG No. 8822, GN No. 1, effective on publication; repeals the 2024 PSD-1) — para 7 (application/authorisation), 8.6 (categories), 10.6 (capital), 12.2 (safeguarding) | 2026-01-06 |
| Ongoing obligations | Pooled e-money / user funds must at all times equal at least 100% of outstanding liabilities, reconciled daily with any deficiency addressed within one business day — the pooled-funds safeguarding obligation. Verbatim“At all times, the aggregate value of the pooled funds must equal at least 100% of the value of all outstanding liabilities. These funds must be reconciled on a daily basis, with any deficiencies addressed within one (1) business day.” | Determination PSD-3 — Issuing of Electronic Money in Namibia (GG No. 8457, GN No. 561; effective ~2025-03-27) — para 8.4/11.1 (capital), 13.1.5 (safeguarding) | 2024-09-27 |
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.
Maintained: this official source is re-checked on a weekly schedule — last checked 2026-08-04 · unchanged since the previous check.
Who already holds this licence?
9 entities are on the Bank of Namibia register under the Electronic Money (E-Money) participant category — view the register .
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