The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has received the ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 certification for its Information Technology Service Management systems, marking a major international milestone.
This certification, announced on Tuesday, September 9, effectively confirmed that the CBK's internal IT operations meet globally recognised standards in managing and delivering secure and reliable services.
In a statement, the CBK described the milestone as a step towards providing service excellence and operational efficiency.
"This prestigious certification demonstrates the Bank’s ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards of service excellence in its operations," CBK's statement read.
The country's apex bank began the process of obtaining the certification in March 2023 as part of its 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, which focused on enhancing operational excellence.
Certification was awarded by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which is globally renowned and sets standards for how institutions manage their IT services.
For the CBK, the certification means its technology systems have been tested and confirmed to meet high international standards, similar to those applied by global financial institutions.
While the development may appear technical, it bears some benefits for Kenyans since CBK's IT systems play a key role in how banks operate and how the government's financial services are delivered.
A functioning IT system for a monetary authority is also key in ensuring mobile money transactions are settled seamlessly.
CBK's certification also means the authority can respond quickly in times of crisis, and there are likely to be fewer delays during transactions such as bank-to-bank transfers, mobile money operations, or public payments.
As far as cyber threats are concerned, certification shows that CBK is actively taking steps to control the country's financial infrastructure.
The certification is likely to result in fewer delays or system failures during financial transactions. Kenyans who rely on digital services for daily business, sending money to relatives, or receiving government funds may begin to experience smoother, faster services.
It also strengthens CBK’s ability to respond quickly in times of crisis. Whether it's a system outage, a financial emergency, or a cybersecurity threat, the bank is now better equipped to act quickly and reduce disruption. This is particularly important in an era where financial services are increasingly digital.
