Digital Payments & Fintech · Tanzania
Fintech & payments regulation in Tanzania (2026)
Tanzania shaded by its digital payments & fintech status
Fintech and digital payments in Tanzania: licensing regime, under National Payment Systems Act, 2015, administered by the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), supported by the Payment Systems (Licensing and Approval) Regulations and the Payment Systems (Electronic Money) Regulations, 2015.
Tanzania has a dedicated, in-force licensing regime for payments and e-money under the National Payment Systems Act, 2015, with the Bank of Tanzania as the sole regulator. Section 6 of the Act prohibits operating a payment system or providing payment services without a BoT licence (for non-banks) or approval (for banks/financial institutions), and e-money issuers must hold a licence and maintain a trust account. The framework is operational and increasingly mature, anchored by the interoperable Tanzania Instant Payment System (TIPS) launched in 2024.
Key points
The Bank of Tanzania regulates payment systems under the National Payment Systems Act No. 4 of 2015. Section 6(1) makes it an offence to operate a payment system or provide payment services without a valid BoT licence or approval.
Non-bank/non-financial-institution payment service providers receive a licence; banks and financial institutions receive an approval. Licences/approvals are valid for five years unless suspended or revoked.
E-money issuers must obtain an electronic money issuance licence under the Electronic Money Regulations, 2015, satisfy capital adequacy (min. TZS 500 million for non-bank entities), hold a TCRA network/application services licence, and ring-fence funds in a trust account. Since 15 December 2020, new e-money issuance licences are restricted to licensed mobile network operators (banks and pre-existing non-MNO issuers are grandfathered).
The Bank of Tanzania officially launched the Tanzania Instant Payment System (TIPS) in 2024 as a national, interoperable retail switch connecting banks and mobile money operators. In 2024 it processed 454 million transactions worth ~TZS 29.9 trillion (~US$11.6bn) across 46 participating institutions.
Digital lenders must be licensed as Tier 2 (non-deposit-taking) microfinance service providers under the Microfinance Act, 2018 (Section 16 makes unlicensed lending an offence). BoT issued a Guidance Note on Digital Lenders Under Tier 2 in September 2024 and has cracked down on unlicensed platforms, publishing lists of unapproved lenders.
Cross-border digital payments are additionally subject to the Foreign Exchange Regulations, 2022. There is no dedicated statutory open-banking regime; interoperability is achieved through the BoT-operated TIPS switch rather than a mandated open-API/open-banking framework, and BNPL has no standalone rule (it falls under general lending/microfinance and payments rules).
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