INSTRUCTION N°26 ON THE STANDARDIZATION OF THE BILL OF EXCHANGE

BANQUE CENTRALE DU CONGO
THE GOVERNOR
INSTRUCTION N°26 ON THE STANDARDIZATION OF THE BILL OF EXCHANGE

The Central Bank of Congo

Pursuant to Law No. 005/2002 of May 7, 2002, on the Constitution, organization, and functioning of the Central Bank of Congo, specifically Article 6, paragraph 3; Pursuant to Law No. 003/2002 of February 2, 2002, on the activity and control of credit institutions; Pursuant to the Decree of July 28, 1934, on bills of exchange, promissory notes, and protests;

Considering that the Central Bank of Congo is tasked with ensuring the proper functioning and security of payment systems and means, and in this capacity, ensures the relevance of the standards applicable to them;

Decrees the following provisions regarding the standardization of the bill of exchange:

Article 1:
This instruction aims to establish the standards to be observed during the creation of bills of exchange for their automated processing within the framework of clearing.

Article 2:
This instruction applies to credit institutions and any other entity participating in the clearing house, hereinafter referred to as "subject entities".

Article 3:
The standardization of the bill of exchange covers:

• the physical characteristics of the bill of exchange;
• the printed part of the bill of exchange.

Article 4:
The physical characteristics of the standardized bill of exchange include the quality and technical specifications of the paper, the color and nature of the impressions, as well as the rules to be observed regarding the retention, dispatch, and presentation of bills of exchange for processing.

Article 5:
The printed part of the bill of exchange is that written in print type and containing all the details made mandatory by current legislation.

Article 6:
The technical characteristics and the standardized model of the bill of exchange are described in the annex attached to this Instruction.

Article 7:
When subject entities use external service providers for the creation of standardized bill of exchange forms, they are required to verify their conformity with the provisions of this Instruction.

Article 8:
The practical modalities for the dematerialized exchange of bills of exchange within the framework of tele-clearing are fixed by the clearing house convention.

Article 9:
This instruction enters into force six (6) months from the date of its signature. Upon expiration of this deadline, bills of exchange that do not conform to the specifications of this instruction will no longer be eligible for exchange in clearing.

Done in Kinshasa, on March 29, 2016

Déogratias NYEMBO
Governor

563, Colonel Tshatshi Boulevard - Kinshasa - Gombe Email: sgouvemeur@bcc.cd / svicegouve@bcc.cd / cabgouv@bcc.cd - Website: http://www.bcc.cd

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BANQUE CENTRALE DU CONGO
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CONTINUATION, PAGE

Annex
Technical characteristics and standardized model of the bill of exchange

This annex defines the technical characteristics and the standardized model of the bill of exchange.

1. Language
   The standardized bill of exchange model contains pre-printed texts in French.

2. Paper Characteristics
   The format of the bill of exchange is 80 mm in height and 175 mm in length.
   The paper used for its creation must meet the criteria for optical and mechanical processing. It must also be suitable for laser printers (thermoresistant). The paper for printing must be wood-free, free of magnetizable particles, opaque, sufficiently rigid, suitable for printing and manual writing. The other characteristics of the paper are:

3. Weight: grammage between 90 and 95 grams per square meter.

4. Thickness: between 0.05 and 0.177 mm.

5. Surface purity of the paper: from 50 to 200 units.

6. Bursting resistance: 165 kilopascals (Kpa) (24 pounds force per square inch).

7. Porosity (according to Gurley technique): 12 seconds.

8. Rigidity (according to Gurley technique):

   • cross direction: 0.11 mN meters.
   • machine direction: 0.25 mN meters.

9. Tear resistance:

   • cross direction: 608 mN.
   • machine direction: 539 mN.

The aforementioned dimensions each have a tolerance of 1mm. However, an additional special tolerance is allowed on the height when it comes to bills of exchange established by computer. This additional tolerance must not bring the total tolerance on the height beyond +2.5 mm.

Shaded backgrounds or printed designs that may appear anywhere on the front or back of the standardized bill of exchange must have colors and patterns that in no way diminish the legibility of information written by hand or printed on the original document or on a reproduction from microfilm, image, or photocopy. The minimum contrast index of any pre-printed information on the front of the standardized bill of exchange must be 0.60 relative to the background. Said information should be printed in black or dark ink. Pastel color shades or standard anti-counterfeit safety shades must be used for printing backgrounds. The use of inorganic clay and inks with a high reflectance rate, heavy inks, and dark colored inks must be avoided. The paper and ink used must allow, after scanning, an image conforming to the original of the bill of exchange in 256 shades of gray.

3. Pre-printed Details

[Image/Text Representation of Bill of Exchange Layout]

BILL OF EXCHANGE
STIPULATED WITHOUT FEES
Please pay the sum indicated below to the order of

CURRENCY CODE
DATE [DD] [MM] [YYYY]

Amount
Establishment Branch

Address
Endorser

The standardized bill of exchange includes the following details:

1. The payment mandate (zone 1). This mandate is materialized by the expression "against this bill of exchange stipulated without fees, please pay the sum indicated below to the order of";
2. The name or denomination and address or headquarters of the drawer (zone 2). The font size must be small so as not to clutter this zone;
3. The name or denomination of the beneficiary (zone 3);
4. The place and date of creation indicated in day/month/year (zone 4);
5. The maturity date indicated in day/month/year (zone 5);
6. The "amount" and "currency code" (CDF or USD) located above a reserved space for the inscription of the amount in figures (zone 6). The amount of the claim in figures is inscribed in the relevant currency;
7. The amount of the claim in letters expressed in the relevant currency (zone 7). It must correspond to the amount in figures mentioned in zone 6;
8. The space reserved for the drawee's acceptance and signature as well as the date of acceptance (zone 8);
9. The space reserved for the aval (zone 9). It must be filled in by the avalist (third party or signatory of the bill of exchange). The name and signature of the guarantor must appear there;
10. The name or denomination and address or headquarters of the drawee (zone 10). This zone should be pre-printed by the issuing institution;
11. The domiciliation (11.1) and Bank Identification Statement (11.2) of the drawee (zone 11). This zone should be pre-printed by the issuing institution;
12. The signature of the drawer and its seal if applicable (zone 12). This space located to the right of the form must be sufficient and free of printing to house the mandatory manual signature of the drawee.

All these details must be legible.

4. Retention
   The application of metal attachments to a bill of exchange and its retention in the form of folds are prohibited.

563, Colonel Tshatshi Boulevard - Kinshasa - Gombe Email: sgouvemeur@bcc.cd / svicegouve@bcc.cd / cabgouv@bcc.cd - Website: http://www.bcc.cd