Get a digital credit provider (DCP) licence from CBK
Central Bank of Kenya · sources read 2 Oct 2026
Get your company name approved on CBK's portal, incorporate, then apply online with Form CBK DCP 1 and the fit and proper forms and pay the KSh 5,000 application fee. After CBK's review and a data-submission test, pay the KSh 20,000 licence fee. CBK decides within 60 days of a complete application.
- Fee
- KSh 5,000Application fee (non-refundable)KSh 20,000Licence fee (on grant, then every year)
- How long
- CBK should decide within 60 days of receiving a complete application.
- Where
- Online on CBK's portal (gdi.centralbank.go.ke), with original documents delivered to the Central Bank of Kenya
What you need
- Form CBK DCP 1 (signed), plus fit and proper forms CBK DCP 2 and 3 for directors, CEO, senior officers and significant shareholders
- Certified certificate of incorporation and Memorandum and Articles of Association
- Your credit products and terms, pricing model, data protection, AML/CFT and customer complaints policies
- Certificate of good conduct, tax compliance certificate and a recent CRB report for each significant shareholder, director and senior officer
Steps
- Reserve at least 3 names with the Registrar of Companies, then submit them to CBK for approval on gdi.centralbank.go.ke. Existing companies skip to step 3.
- Incorporate a limited company using the approved name.
- Create a profile on CBK's DCP portal, fill in Form CBK DCP 1 online, sign it and upload it with the fit and proper forms and supporting documents.
- Send the original documents to CBK with the KSh 5,000 application fee.
- Pass CBK's data-submission (API) test, pay the licence fee when notified, and CBK issues the licence.
Watch out
- The law now calls DCPs 'non-deposit taking credit providers' (NDTCPs). New NDTCP Regulations are on the way and will replace the 2022 DCP Regulations once published, so check for changes before you apply.
- Licensed lenders are published in the Kenya Gazette and on CBK's website, which is how customers check you.
Who can apply
- A company incorporated under the Companies Act, with shareholders, directors and senior officers who pass CBK's fit and proper test
Official sources (5)
- The A-Z of Licensing a Digital Credit Provider (Procedures for licensing DCPs, revised October 2024) centralbank.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- Central Bank of Kenya (Digital Credit Providers) Regulations, 2022 (L.N. 46) centralbank.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- Regulatory Impact Statement on the CBK (Non-Deposit Taking Credit Providers) Regulations, 2026 (May 2026) centralbank.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- Bank Supervision: Digital Credit Providers centralbank.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- CBK DCP application portal gdi.centralbank.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026