The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has announced the licensing of a further 42 Digital Credit Providers (DCPs), bringing the total number of licensed DCPs in the country to 195.
In a press notice released on Monday, December 30, CBK confirmed the licensing of the new credit providers, stating the decision was in accordance with section 59 (2) of the CBK Act. The names of the new providers were posted on the official website of the regulator.
The licensing of the new 42 DCPS followed the licensing of another 27 DCPs in September 2025 and another 41 in June of the same year.
“The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) announces the licensing of an additional 42 Digital Credit Providers (DCPs). This is pursuant to Section 59(2) of the Central Bank of Kenya Act (CBK Act). This brings the number of licensed DCPs to 195 following the licensing of 27 DCPs announced in September 2025,” read part of the press release.
Digital Credit Providers (DCPs) are financial institutions that offer loans and credit services digitally. They use platforms like mobile apps, websites, or even USSD.
Loan products include education loans, development loans, short-term personal loans, asset financing, and business loans. As of November 2025, CBK revealed that the licensed providers had granted over 6.6 million loans valued at Ksh109.8 billion.
CBK revealed that it had received over 800 applications from similar providers since March 2022 and is continuing to work closely with the applicants in reviewing their subsequent applications.
In 2022, CBK officially started regulating the providers, so as to ensure consumer protection and transparency. This move led to the genesis of license issuance.
CBK requires licensed DCPS to adhere to its regulations, including confidentiality, cost disclosure, fair debt collection, credit listing restrictions, and anti-money laundering.
It requires the lenders to prove their sources of funds to ensure they are not proceeds of crime. Lenders are also prohibited from using unethical recovery methods and from listing borrowers on credit reference bureaus (CRBs).
The regulator emphasised that licensed DCPs are expected to be fully compliant with consumer protection standards and conduct themselves ethically.
CBK, however, revealed that other applicants were at different stages of review and urged them to submit the pending documentation expeditiously to enable completion of the evaluation of their applications.
