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Fintech & payments regulation in Burundi (2026)

Fintech and digital payments in Burundi: licensing regime.

Burundi has an in-force licensing regime for digital payments: the central bank (BRB) licenses and supervises payment institutions, payment service providers and electronic-money issuers under the 2018 National Payment System Law and dedicated 2017/2024 regulations and circulars. The BRB also operates the national instant-payment infrastructure (BurundiPay, launched April 2025) and licenses non-bank PSPs and mobile-money operators. There is no dedicated open-banking framework, and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) is not specifically regulated.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Burundi with other countries

Legal framework

Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB), under Law No. 01/07 of 11 May 2018 on the National Payment System, Regulation No. 002 of 2024 on payment services and payment-institution activities (replacing Reg. No. 001/2017), and Circular No. 001 of 2024 on electronic-money-issuing payment institutions.

Key points: digital payments & fintech in Burundi

  1. Regulator & enabling law

    The Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB) is the sole regulator and supervisor of payments. Law No. 01/07 of 11 May 2018 establishes the National Payment System and the BRB's oversight authority over payment systems, instruments and providers.

    brb.bi brb.bi

  2. Payment-institution licensing

    Regulation No. 002 of 2024 on payment services and the activities of payment institutions (updating the earlier Règlement No. 001/2017) sets out authorization, capital and conduct requirements for licensed payment institutions, including non-bank payment service providers.

    brb.bi brb.bi

  3. E-money / mobile money

    Circular No. 001 of 2024 governs the activities of electronic-money-issuing payment institutions, providing a dedicated regime for e-money and mobile money. Three mobile-money providers, seven banks and nine MFIs operate digital platforms via a 153,000-strong agent network.

    brb.bi brb.bi

  4. Commercial agents & sanctions

    Banking/payment agents are regulated (Règlement No. 002/2017 on commercial agents in banking operations), and BRB enforces compliance via Circular No. 01/EP/19 setting a sanctions matrix applicable to payment institutions.

    brb.bi brb.bi

  5. Instant-payment rail (BurundiPay)

    On 23 April 2025 the BRB launched BurundiPay, a national instant-payment system enabling real-time interoperable transfers across banks, MFIs and mobile wallets, built on the ISO 20022 standard and supporting USSD; it follows the BRB's ATS migration to ISO 20022 in February 2025.

    ecofinagency.com

  6. Gaps: open banking & BNPL

    No dedicated open-banking regulation has been enacted, and buy-now-pay-later lending is not subject to a specific framework; such activity falls under general banking/payment and consumer rules rather than a tailored regime.

    brb.bi brb.bi

Sources

  1. brb.bi/en/content/payment-institutions
  2. brb.bi/textes_legaux_relatifs_aux_systemes_de_paiement
  3. brb.bi/fr/content/loi-n°-0107-du-11-mai-2018-portant-système-national-de-pai
  4. brb.bi/sites/default/files/2024-09/R%C3%A8glement%20N%C2%B0%20002%20de%20202
  5. brb.bi/sites/default/files/2024-09/Circulaire%20N%C2%B0%20001%20de%202024%20
  6. brb.bi/fr/content/circulaire-n%C2%B0-01ep19-relative-%C3%A0-la-matrice-des-s
  7. brb.bi/fr/content/reglementation-et-supervision-des-services-financiers-nume
  8. ecofinagency.com/news/2804-55079-burundi-launches-instant-payment-system-to-expand-fin

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 25 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026