Fintech & payments regulation in Brunei (2026)

ndpx (National Digital Payments Network Sdn Bhd), an Approved Payment System Operator under BDCB, launched tarus, enabling real-time fund transfers 24/7 across banks and e-wallets using phone numbers as identifiers. Five platforms joined at launch; this marks the delivery of Phase 1 of the Digital Payment Hub and the country's first interoperable fast-payment rail.

BDCB issued Notice TRS/N-1/2025/1 requiring all payment service providers and payment system operators to adopt the national QR code standard managed by ndpx, ensuring full interoperability at merchant point-of-sale across banks and e-wallets. Non-compliant QR codes must be phased out.

The Brunei Darussalam Central Bank Order 2021 came into force, replacing the Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD) with the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB). The new order modernised the central bank's mandate, explicitly anchoring its oversight of payment systems and fintech under a unified central bank framework.

AMBD formally released the Digital Payment Roadmap 2019-2025, articulating three strategic pillars: balancing regulation and innovation, building open digital payment infrastructure, and driving public adoption. The roadmap operationalised the Financial Sector Blueprint's fintech goals and set Brunei's trajectory toward a cashless economy by 2025.

In May 2017 AMBD implemented the CSD to automate settlement for Government Sukuk and other securities, while the Direct Credit module added to the ACH in March 2017 enabled bulk low-value electronic transfers. These completions rounded out Brunei's three-pillar National Payment and Settlement System (RTGS, ACH, CSD).

AMBD published its FinTech Regulatory Sandbox Guidelines on 27 February 2017, creating a time-limited, relaxed-regulation test environment for fintech and financial institution innovators. Simultaneously, AMBD's dedicated FinTech Unit, set up in 2016, assumed formal responsibility for regulatory and development strategy, making Brunei one of the first ASEAN jurisdictions to establish both structures.

AMBD published the Financial Sector Blueprint 2016-2025 (FSBP), the overarching policy document aligning Brunei's financial sector with Vision 2035. The FSBP explicitly identified fintech enablement, digital payments infrastructure, and financial inclusion as strategic pillars, providing the mandate for all subsequent regulatory sandbox, roadmap, and payment infrastructure initiatives.

Brunei gazetted the Payment and Settlement Systems (Oversight) Act as Chapter 251 of the Laws of Brunei, giving AMBD (now BDCB) the statutory authority to approve, supervise, and oversee payment system operators and payment service providers. This remains the primary legislation under which all digital payment licences and approvals are granted.

The Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam Order 2010 came into force on 1 January 2011, consolidating monetary policy, currency issuance, and supervision of banks, insurance, and payment systems under one statutory authority. This replaced the fragmented Ministry of Finance oversight model and created the institutional foundation for all subsequent digital payments and fintech regulation.