The Central Financial institution of Kenya has licensed 32 extra digital credit score suppliers, pushing the overall variety of permitted lenders in Kenya to 227 as of April 2026. The approvals, issued beneath Part 59(2) of the CBK Act, lengthen a licensing course of that started in March 2022 and has since drawn greater than 800 purposes.
The most recent batch builds on 42 licenses granted in December 2025, taking the market from 195 to 227 regulated operators because the CBK continues to formalize a sector that had grown sooner than oversight.
A Cellular-First Lending Market, Now Beneath Guidelines
Digital credit score suppliers function largely by way of cellular channels, together with apps, net platforms, and USSD companies, providing merchandise that vary from short-term private loans to enterprise and asset financing.
By February 2026, licensed corporations had issued 7.5 million loans valued at Ksh.133.5 billion, underscoring their function in extending credit score past conventional banking channels.
Licensing Now Tied to Conduct, Not Simply Entry
The CBK’s overview course of has centered on enterprise fashions, shopper safety, and the suitability of shareholders and administration. The regulator has taken a structured method, partaking candidates to deal with compliance gaps earlier than approval.
That oversight now carries particular obligations. Licensed lenders should meet necessities on information confidentiality, clear disclosure of mortgage prices, and honest debt assortment practices. They’re additionally topic to anti–cash laundering controls, together with verification of funding sources, and limits on how debtors are listed with credit score reference bureaus.
“The licensing and oversight of digital lenders was pushed by considerations over predatory practices and the abuse of buyer information.”
Backlog Persists as Purposes Transfer in Levels
A big variety of candidates stay beneath overview, many pending submission of required documentation. The CBK has urged corporations to finish filings to allow remaining selections.
The regulator has printed a full listing of licensed suppliers, giving debtors a clearer technique to distinguish compliant lenders from unregulated operators.
Shopper Complaints Nonetheless Form the Framework
The licensing regime traces again to complaints over excessive borrowing prices, aggressive restoration techniques, and misuse of non-public information by unregulated lenders. These considerations proceed to outline how the CBK approaches supervision, with licensing functioning as each a screening instrument and an enforcement mechanism.
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