Notice No. 08/2013: Validation of Image Copies

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CENTRAL BANK OF ANGOLA Office of the Governor

NOTICE NO. 08/2013 of April 2, 2013

SUBJECT: VALIDATION OF IMAGE COPIES

Considering the importance of implementing document processing and archiving procedures that contribute to the efficiency objective of Angola's Payment System, without compromising its security;

Considering the need to define new rules and procedures for banking financial institutions that allow them to utilize the benefits of information and communication technologies, in order to improve service levels for customers with security and reliability;

Pursuant to the combined provisions of Article 7 of Law No. 5/05, dated July 29 – Payment System Law, and Article 51 of Law No. 16/10, dated July 15 – Central Bank of Angola Law;

HEREBY DETERMINES:

Article 1. Subject Matter

1. This Notice aims to establish the terms and conditions that banking financial institutions must observe regarding the replacement of physical archiving of the documents defined in paragraph 2 of this article, with an electronic process as provided for in Article 40 of Law No. 5/05, dated July 29 – Payment System Law, and in Article 150 of Law No. 13/05, dated September 30 – Financial Institutions Law.

2. For the purposes of this Notice, documents are considered to be:

   2.1. Paper payment instruments that have been subject to standardization approved by the Central Bank of Angola.

   2.2. Standardized forms used by banking financial institutions to support banking operations and their internal circulation, namely but not exclusively cash deposit slips and/or other values, and transfer order documents.

Article 2. Image Capture and Document Destruction

1. Subject to the minimum archiving period defined in Article 5, the destruction of original documents must be preceded by the capture of their respective images.

2. The captured image must fully reproduce the front and back, if applicable, of the original document and allow for the extraction of a faithful and legible copy thereof.

3. A document is considered to have a back side when the document specifications define its usability, regardless of whether it contains content in each specific use.

4. The image capture and archiving process must take into account the principles and technical specifications defined in ISO 14641-1:2012 by the International Organization for Standardization (International Organization for Standardization).

Article 3. Security

1. The image capture and original destruction process provided for in this Notice must be organized to ensure the preservation, security, authenticity, durability, immutability, readability, and accessibility of the respective image archives.

2. The destruction of originals must be carried out in a manner that prevents their reconstruction.

3. Digitized documents must contain a unique identifier as well as the identification of the person directly responsible for capture.

4. The creation and maintenance of indexes for captured images is mandatory, indicating the capture date and identifying the corresponding storage media.

5. Banking financial institutions are required to maintain duplicate records of captured images and their respective indexes, deposited in a reserved-access location distinct from where the originals are kept.

Article 4. Probative Value

1. Copies obtained from the images referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 2 of this Notice have the probative value of the original documents.

2. For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, banking financial institutions must comply with the following procedures:

   a) Observe the provisions of this Notice regarding the requirements for the destruction of originals and the security of image capture media;

   b) Authenticate copies through provenly secure methods and with two signatures that bind the banking financial institution.

Article 5. Archiving Period

1. Paper originals of documents must be maintained in archiving for a minimum period of 180 (one hundred and eighty) days calculated from the date of:

   a) clearing, in the case of cleared payment instruments;

   b) deposit, in the case of deposited and non-cleared payment instruments;

   c) payment, in the case of transfer orders; and

   d) bank certification, in other cases.

2. Digitized images of the documents referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 1 must be archived for a minimum period of 10 (ten) years.

Article 6. Doubts and Omissions

Any eventual doubts and omissions shall be resolved by the Central Bank of Angola.

Article 7. Entry into Force

This Notice enters into force on the date of its publication.

PUBLISHED

Luanda, April 2, 2013

THE GOVERNOR

(Signature) JOSÉ DE LIMA MASSANO