The Central Bank of Kenya announced the licensing of an additional 42 Digital Credit Providers (DCPs) under Section 59(2) of the Central Bank of Kenya Act, increasing the number of licensed DCPs to 195 following the licensing of 27 DCPs announced in September 2025. Since March 2022, the Central Bank of Kenya has received more than 800 applications and engaged applicants on areas including business models, consumer protection, and the fitness and propriety of proposed shareholders, directors, and management. The release notes that DCPs predominantly lend digitally, including through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes, and offer products such as education loans, development loans, short-term personal loans, asset-financing and business loans; as at November 2025, licensed DCPs had granted 6.6 million loans valued at KES 109.8 billion. Other applicants remain at different stages of the process, largely awaiting submission of requisite documentation, and were urged to submit outstanding information to enable completion of application reviews. The Central Bank of Kenya reiterated that licensing and oversight of DCPs was introduced in response to public concerns about predatory practices by unregulated providers, including high costs, unethical debt collection practices, and abuse of personal information.
Central Bank of Kenya 2025-12-30
Central Bank of Kenya licenses 42 additional digital credit providers bringing total to 195
The Central Bank of Kenya has licensed an additional 42 Digital Credit Providers (DCPs), bringing the total to 195. Since March 2022, over 800 applications have been received, with ongoing engagement on business models and consumer protection. The licensing aims to address public concerns over predatory practices by unregulated providers.