Fintech & digital payments rules in Samoa (2026)

The NPSA 2014 (consolidated to December 2023) is the primary payments legislation. It empowers the CBS to authorise and license payment service providers and operators of payment, clearing, and settlement systems, and to set compliance and oversight requirements.

The CBS Financial Supervision and Regulation Department (FSRD) licenses, regulates, and supervises the financial system, including commercial banks, non-bank financial institutions, money transfer operators, and foreign exchange dealers. Prudential oversight is conducted through on-site reviews and financial reporting.

As of February 2025, CBS publishes 16 licensed Money Transfer Operations / Restricted Foreign Exchange Dealers. These are supervised under the NPSA 2014 and the AML/CFT framework administered by the Samoa Financial Intelligence Unit, also housed within CBS.

Launched in May 2023 with IFC technical support and funding from Australia and New Zealand, SATS is Samoa's new national digital payment infrastructure enabling real-time electronic interbank settlement. It is designed to boost financial inclusion for the approximately 50% of Samoans without bank accounts.

Samoa does not have a standalone e-money institution (EMI) licensing class. Mobile money and digital wallet providers operate under the general NPSA 2014 framework and AML rules rather than a purpose-built EMI regime; no open banking mandate or BNPL-specific regulation has been enacted or proposed.

In early 2025, CBS opened public consultation on the draft Moneylenders Bill 2025 and Microfinance Bill 2025, which would introduce dedicated licensing and minimum capital requirements (ST$1 million) for microfinance institutions. These bills expand the regulatory perimeter but do not introduce EMI, open banking, or BNPL frameworks.