Fintech & digital payments rules in Botswana (2026)

The Electronic Payment Services Regulations 2019 set the legal framework for licensing entities that issue e-money, hold payment accounts, and execute electronic transfers; an applicant must be incorporated in Botswana under the Companies Act. The 2022 Licensing Guidelines operationalise entry requirements, fund protection, outsourcing and agent rules.

The Bank of Botswana has statutory oversight of the National Payments System and licenses/recognises payment and settlement operators under the National Clearance and Settlement Systems Act (Cap 46:06, 2003) and its 2005 Regulations; it publishes a public register of licensed EPS providers.

The Bank of Botswana operates the Botswana Interbank Settlement System (BISS), the real-time gross settlement system for high-value transfers, and the Botswana Automated Clearing House (BACH) for bulk/retail batch payments such as salaries; both are mandated under the NCSS Act 2003.

Mobile money is well established and supervised under the payments framework, with Orange Money the market leader (over 70% share and roughly P33.5bn in transaction value in the year to March 2024) and Mascom MyZaka also active; mobile network operators are additionally licensed by BOCRA.

The Bank of Botswana has introduced a Fintech Analytical Assessment Framework to assess risks across balance-sheet lending, crowdfunding, robo-advisory, InsurTech, virtual assets and stablecoins, and cross-border instant payments are expanding (e.g. SADC/TCIB-based real-time links via banks in 2025–2026), indicating active but still-maturing areas beyond the core EPS regime.

There is no dedicated buy-now-pay-later regime; open banking exists at the policy level rather than as binding licensing rules; and the World Bank FSAP and local reporting note many mobile/digital lenders operate in a partly unregulated zone, with NBFIRA (under the NBFIRA Act) supervising non-bank lenders.