National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • Asia-Pacific
CBK
Global JurisdictionCentral Bank of Kenya
- Supervisory tier
- Tier-2
- License classes
- 2
- Licensed records
- 15
- Active / regulated
- 15
Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope
Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) operates as a statutory financial supervisory authority regulating financial institutions in 6. The authority oversees entity licensing, capital adequacy compliance, conduct supervision, and enforcement disclosures via its official registry at centralbank.go.ke.
Prudential Tier Assessment
Tier-2Tier-2 sovereign central bank and macroprudential banking supervisor for Global Jurisdiction, enforcing Basel III capital adequacy and national payment system integrity.
National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (CBK)
Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by CBK in Global Jurisdiction.
| License class / code | Official designation | Permitted institutional & retail activities | Minimum initial / base capital | Ongoing prudential & solvency rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A / Commercial Banking Charter | Full Commercial & Institutional Banking Licence | Deposit-taking, commercial lending, interbank FX market-making, trade finance, and institutional custody. | USD $5,000,000 – $15,000,000 equivalent statutory paid-up banking capital | Minimum Basel III Total Capital Ratio ≥ 10.5%–12.5%, CET1 ≥ 7.0%, LCR ≥ 100%, and NSFR ≥ 100%. |
| EMI / Payment & FX Institution Licence | Authorised Payment Institution / Electronic Money & FX Remittance Licence | Cross-border remittance, electronic money issuance, merchant payment acquiring, and deliverable spot FX conversion. | USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent paid-up capital plus statutory central bank security deposit. | 100% daily safeguarding of customer float in segregated commercial bank trust accounts. |
Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime
Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under CBK.
Statutory Deposit Insurance & Bank Resolution Scheme (Global Jurisdiction)
- Maximum coverage per client
- Protected up to statutory national deposit insurance ceiling per banking depositor
- Eligible counterparties & scope
- Retail depositors and eligible corporate deposit accounts held at licensed credit institutions.
CBK Prudential Safeguarding & Custody Directives
- Reconciliation & audit cadence
- Daily reserve and Nostro/Vostro liquidity reconciliation; 100% ring-fencing of payment institution safeguarding accounts.
- Approved custodian requirements
- Central bank reserve accounts or ring-fenced statutory trust accounts at Tier-1 correspondent banks.
CBK Prudential Cryptoasset Exposure (BCBS SCO60) & CBDC / Stablecoin Oversight
- Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
- Full FATF Recommendation 16 Wire Transfer & Virtual Asset Travel Rule compliance across supervised banking rails.
Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks
- Central Bank & Banking Supervision Act of Global Jurisdiction
- Basel III Capital Adequacy (CET1 / Tier 1 / Total Capital) & Liquidity (LCR / NSFR) Prudential Standards
- National Payment Systems & Foreign Exchange Control Regulations (Global Jurisdiction)
- FATF-Aligned Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) Banking Directives
Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations
Monthly/Quarterly Basel III COREP/FINREP prudential capital and liquidity returns to CBKAnnual IFRS statutory financial audit by an approved central-bank-panel external audit firmReal-time large-exposure, foreign exchange position, and suspicious transaction reporting (STR)
Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting
Requires CBK home-host supervisory college approval or local branch/representative office licensing for cross-border banking operations.
Supervised institutions & CBK licence records in our database
15 licence records referencing CBK (15 regulated/registered).
| Institution | Licence number | Status | Licensed legal entity | Effective date | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of Africa Kenya | Not supplied | Regulated | Bank of Africa Kenya Limited | 2004-04-30 | |
| CBK | Not supplied | Regulated | Chase Bank Kenya Limited | — | |
| Credit Bank | Not supplied | Regulated | Credit Bank PLC | 1994-11-30 | |
| Family Bank | Not supplied | Regulated | Family Bank Limited | 2007-05-01 | |
| HFC | Not supplied | Regulated | HFC Limited | 1965-03-07 | |
| I&M Bank Kenya Limited | Not supplied | Regulated | I&M Bank Limited | 1996-03-27 | |
| KCB | 090 | Regulated | KCB Bank Kenya Limited | — | |
| NBK | Not supplied | Regulated | National Bank of Kenya Limited | — | |
| PBKL | Not supplied | Regulated | Prime Bank Limited | 1992-09-03 | |
| Sidian Bank | Not supplied | Regulated | Sidian Bank Limited | 1999-03-23 | |
| Co-operative Bank of Kenya(Cross-jurisdiction record) | 089 | Regulated | Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited | 2008-07-03 | |
| DTB Kenya(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited | 1994-11-15 | |
| Gulf African Bank(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Gulf African Bank Limited | 2007-11-01 | |
| Stanbic Bank(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited | — | |
| Old Mutual Limited(Cross-jurisdiction record) | 79 | Regulated | Faulu Microfinance Bank Ltd | — |
CBK (Global Jurisdiction): institutional licensing & due diligence FAQ
Key statutory capital, compensation, custody segregation, and verification answers for compliance teams.
What are the primary licensing classes and minimum capital requirements under CBK (Global Jurisdiction)?
CBK (Central Bank of Kenya) supervises financial institutions in Global Jurisdiction under Central Bank & Banking Supervision Act of Global Jurisdiction and Basel III Capital Adequacy (CET1 / Tier 1 / Total Capital) & Liquidity (LCR / NSFR) Prudential Standards. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Class A / Commercial Banking Charter (Full Commercial & Institutional Banking Licence — min. capital: USD $5,000,000 – $15,000,000 equivalent statutory paid-up banking capital); EMI / Payment & FX Institution Licence (Authorised Payment Institution / Electronic Money & FX Remittance Licence — min. capital: USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent paid-up capital plus statutory central bank security deposit.). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.
Does CBK provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?
Under CBK's framework, investor protection is governed by Statutory Deposit Insurance & Bank Resolution Scheme (Global Jurisdiction) with maximum coverage of Protected up to statutory national deposit insurance ceiling per banking depositor (Retail depositors and eligible corporate deposit accounts held at licensed credit institutions.). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with CBK Prudential Safeguarding & Custody Directives, performing daily reserve and nostro/vostro liquidity reconciliation; 100% ring-fencing of payment institution safeguarding accounts. with central bank reserve accounts or ring-fenced statutory trust accounts at tier-1 correspondent banks..
How does CBK regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?
CBK's digital-asset regime is structured around CBK Prudential Cryptoasset Exposure (BCBS SCO60) & CBDC / Stablecoin Oversight (Regulates bank custody, payment settlement rails, fiat-backed stablecoin reserve backing, and Basel SCO60 capital weights.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: Full FATF Recommendation 16 Wire Transfer & Virtual Asset Travel Rule compliance across supervised banking rails.
How can I verify an institution's CBK licence number and check our 15 recorded licence entries?
Our database currently tracks 15 licence records referencing CBK (15 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open CBK's official public register (https://www.centralbank.go.ke/), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.
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Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for CBK (Global Jurisdiction) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on CBK’s official public register.