2023-07-04
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The Central Bank of Congo mandates prudential corporate governance rules for credit establishments, microfinance companies, and micro-credit enterprises. The regulation defines key governance roles, including the General Assembly, the Deliberative Body, and specialized committees (audit, risk, ethics/compliance). It requires microfinance entities to appoint at least three independent directors, establish specific organizational structures, and implement formal procedures for director selection, remuneration, and conflict of interest prevention.
BANQUE CENTRALE DU CONGO
THE GOVERNOR
INSTRUCTION N° 007 ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS (Modification n° 1)
The Central Bank of Congo,
Having regard to the Organic Law n°18/027 of December 13, 2018, on the organization and functioning of the Central Bank of Congo, particularly its articles 10, 11 and 25;
Having regard to Law n°22/069 of December 27, 2022, on the activity and supervision of Credit Institutions, particularly its articles 15, 16, 36, 37, 38 and 39;
Having regard to Law n° 002/2002 of February 2, 2002, on provisions applicable to Savings and Credit Cooperatives, particularly its Title III and articles 15, 58 to 65;
Having regard to Law n°11/020 of September 15, 2011, setting the rules relating to the microfinance activity in the DRC, in its articles 23, 24, 25, 29 and 30;
Having regard to Law n°22/068 of December 27, 2022, on the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly its Titles I and III;
Enacts the following provisions:
TITLE I: GENERAL PROVISIONS
CHAPTER I: OBJECT AND SCOPE OF APPLICATION
Article 1:
This Instruction aims to set the prudential rules applicable in matters of corporate governance to be observed by the microfinance institutions referred to in Article 2 of this Instruction.
Article 2:
This Instruction applies to the Credit Institutions and financial companies listed below, referred to as "subject establishments":
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CHAPTER II: DEFINITIONS
Article 3:
For the application of this Instruction, the following terms are understood as:
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CHAPTER III: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
Article 4:
The governance of microfinance institutions is the set of mechanisms by which actors (shareholders, partners, members, deliberative body, management, general management, management committee, or steering committee) pursue the institution's mission and ensure its sustainability by adapting to the environment, preventing and managing crises and dysfunctions.
Article 5:
The subject establishment is required to put in place a corporate governance system compliant with sound practices and adapted to its size, structure, the nature and complexity of its activities, as well as its risk profile, operational model, and, where applicable, that of the group to which it belongs.
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Article 6: The subject establishment is required to put in place an organizational structure including notably the following corporate bodies:
(i) for savings and credit cooperatives:
(ii) for micro-credit enterprises and microfinance companies:
TITLE II: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BODIES
CHAPTER I: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Article 7: The General Assembly is the meeting of capital contributors, shareholders, partners, members, or associates. It is convened and meets in accordance with legal and statutory provisions.
Article 8: The General Assembly proceeds, in application of the statutes, to the nomination of the members of the deliberative body in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements in this matter, and in compliance with the provisions of Instruction n°41.
Capital contributors are required to be regularly and sufficiently informed of the activity, financial situation, and management of the subject establishment through regular and detailed reports from the deliberative body. They must meet periodically in General Assembly to make decisions on the life of the company.
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Article 9: The General Assembly must be convened at the latest within 48 hours after the discovery, to take corrective measures in the event of a serious violation of prudential regulation, likely to compromise the going concern of the subject establishment, particularly in the event of insufficient own funds or serious dysfunction of governance.
In the event that the General Assembly meeting is not held under the conditions provided for in the preceding paragraph when the situation clearly requires it, the statutory auditor of the subject establishment must immediately inform the Central Bank of Congo and convene said assembly, in accordance with current laws.
CHAPTER II: DELIBERATIVE BODY
Section 1: Principles for the appointment of members of the deliberative body
Article 10: The deliberative body is the collegiate body that represents all capital contributors and is obliged to act in all circumstances in the interest of the subject establishment.
The members of the deliberative body, elected or designated by the General Assembly, are collectively responsible before said assembly.
The deliberative body must be composed of members possessing experience in the banking or financial sector and in corporate governance.
The designation of members of the deliberative body is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Congo in accordance with the provisions of Instruction n°41.
Section 2: Composition and independence of the deliberative body
Article 11: The composition and organization of the work of the Board of Directors must be appropriate to the capital structure as well as the size and nature of the activities of the subject establishment.
Article 12: The deliberative body operates in association, but also in complete independence from the executive body.
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Article 13: The Board of Directors must not participate in the day-to-day management of the subject establishment. On the other hand, it must receive all information to judge the quality of the management by the executive body.
Article 14: To prevent conflicts of interest, a member of the deliberative body of a subject establishment cannot, at the same time:
Article 15: In micro-credit enterprises and microfinance companies, the deliberative body must include at least three (3) independent directors.
The term of office of independent directors is three (3) years, renewable once.
Independent directors must provide all guarantees of independence from the partners, members, or shareholders of the subject establishment and persons related to them. They must swear on their honor that they meet the requirements of this Instruction.
The criteria to qualify a director as independent are as follows:
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Article 16: Generally, external functions that may be exercised by members of the deliberative body must not:
Section 3: Organization and functioning of the deliberative body Article 17: The Board of Directors has the following missions, among others:
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Article 18: The Board of Directors must:
Article 19: The deliberative body is required to put in place a formalized procedure for the selection and appointment of members of the deliberative and executive bodies as well as senior management to ensure the transparency of these processes.
Article 20: In microfinance companies and micro-credit enterprises, the deliberative body puts in place a global remuneration system appropriate given the corporate culture, risk appetite, activities, and profitability of the subject establishment. It validates in particular the variable remuneration schemes benefiting directors, corporate officers, as well as staff members, and monitors the implementation by the executive body and operational services of the remuneration policy.
Section 4: Presidency of the deliberative body Article 21: The President of the deliberative body must in particular:
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Article 22: The president of the deliberative body cannot preside over a specialized committee nor be a member of it.
Section 5: Specialized committees of the deliberative body Article 23: In micro-credit enterprises and microfinance companies, the deliberative body is required to create at least three (3) specialized committees, namely the audit committee, the ethics and compliance committee, and the risk committee.
In savings and credit cooperatives, the functions of the audit committee are ensured by the supervisory board. However, the Board of Directors of a savings and credit cooperative is required to create at least two specialized committees, namely: the risk committee and the ethics and compliance committee.
By way of derogation, the risk committee and the ethics and compliance committee may be merged, with prior agreement from the Central Bank of Congo.
These committees assist the deliberative body in certain specific aspects and meet at least once per quarter.
Section 6: Responsibilities, Composition, organization and functioning of Specialized Committees of the deliberative body Article 24: Specialized Committees are required in particular to:
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Article 25: Specialized committees are composed of at least three (3) members. The deliberative body fixes, in writing, the mandate and composition of the specialized committees. It ensures that said committees interact and report to it at least twice a year. These committees must be composed exclusively of non-executive directors and predominantly of independent directors for microfinance companies and micro-credit enterprises. A director cannot belong to more than two specialized committees at the same time. Specialized committees cannot have more than two members in common. The president of each specialized committee is chosen from among the members of said committee. They cannot be the president of the deliberative body or another committee. They must possess in-depth knowledge in the field of activity of the Committee they preside. Committees keep a register of their deliberations and decisions and retain files comprising minutes and detailed reports, approved and signed by all members present.
Article 26: The risk committee is responsible for examining risk-taking strategies related to all activities and all types of risks, proposing appropriate risk appetite policies with regard to the risk tolerance of the subject establishment, and monitoring their compliance.
The risk committee assists the deliberative body in defining the risk appetite, determining the risk tolerance, strategic orientations regarding risks, and risk monitoring, based on information transmitted by the executive body under the conditions provided by the risk management and monitoring policy.
Article 27 The audit committee or supervisory board and the risk committee are required to communicate with each other and collaborate effectively to facilitate the exchange of information, effective coverage of all risks, and, where applicable, adjustments to the monitoring and risk management system.
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Article 28: The ethics and compliance committee is responsible for assisting the deliberative body in its mission of supervising the implementation of the compliance function system under appropriate conditions, and the implementation of the operations of said establishment with regard to the legal and regulatory provisions in force.
CHAPTER III: SUPERVISORY BOARD OR AUDIT COMMITTEE
Article 29: The supervisory board or the audit committee is responsible for supervising and ensuring the proper functioning of the third-level internal control function and, more broadly, the internal control framework.
Article 30: The Supervisory Committee is composed of members elected by the General Assembly.
Article 31: The supervisory board or the audit committee must in particular:
The supervisory board or the audit committee has the power to recommend to the Board of Directors the recruitment or dismissal of external auditors and supervise the external auditors' relations with the supervised entity.
CHAPTER IV: CREDIT COMMISSION
Article 32: The credit commission in savings and credit cooperatives is responsible for managing the distribution and recovery of credits in accordance with the policies and procedures defined in this regard. Decisions of the credit commission are taken unanimously.
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Article 33: The credit commission must:
Members of the credit commission must receive appropriate training.
CHAPTER V: EXECUTIVE BODY Section 1: Principles of designation and functioning of the executive body
Article 34: The executive body is responsible for the day-to-day management of the supervised entity and for providing adequate information to the Board of Directors. It is responsible for supervising the various lines of activity of the supervised entity. The executive body corresponds to the Management in savings and credit cooperatives and to the General Management in other supervised entities.
Article 35: The executive body is composed of natural persons designated by the deliberative body based on criteria of competence and proven experience in the banking or financial sector, as well as honorability and integrity. Members of the executive body must have the necessary skills to manage the activities placed under their responsibility and must have appropriate control over personnel in the lines of activities placed under their responsibility. The designation of members of the executive body is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Congo in accordance with the provisions of Instruction n°41.
Article 36: The executive body is composed of at least two (2) natural persons, namely the Manager and his Deputy for savings and credit cooperatives, and the General Manager and Deputy General Manager for other supervised entities.
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Article 37: Members of the executive body are required to collaborate with each other to exercise effective mutual control, by notably countersigning at least one member of all correspondence and publications of the supervised entity, or by double-signing them, according to a delegation system approved by the deliberative body and taking into account the level of sensitivity of the risks involved.
Article 38: External functions that may be exercised by a member of the executive body must not:
Section 2: Responsibilities of the executive body
Article 39: The executive body is required to prepare decisions falling within the purview of the deliberative body and to implement the strategy defined by the latter for the conduct of the supervised entity's activities and to report on them.
To this end, the executive body must in particular:
Article 40: The Management or General Management drafts, at least annually, a report accounting for the arrangements put in place regarding corporate organization to guarantee effective and prudent management of the credit institution. This report is communicated to the deliberative body, the statutory auditors, and the Central Bank of Congo, and must in particular include:
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Article 41: The distribution of responsibilities within the executive body of the supervised entity is clearly defined, in order to guarantee the balance of powers and thus avoid the exclusive concentration of decision-making power in a single person. This distribution must guarantee the absence of a reserved domain for any of the executives and the continuity of general management under all circumstances.
Members of the executive body legally bind the supervised entity and are each fully responsible for all of its activities.
TITLE III: INFORMATION AND TRANSPARENCY
Article 42: The governance of the supervised entity must be sufficiently transparent towards shareholders or members, depositors, other stakeholders, and market participants.
The deliberative body defines the orientations in the field of governance necessary for informing stakeholders, allowing them to assess the effectiveness of the policies implemented by the supervised entity.
TITLE IV: PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Article 43: The supervised entity must take adequate measures for the prevention of conflicts of interest and put in place procedures for their management.
The supervised entity must put in place procedures to identify conflicts of interest.
Article 44: In the event of situations of conflicts of interest in the relations of the supervised entity with its capital providers, its directors, its personnel, its members, or its clients, the supervised entity must manage them in a manner that does not prejudice either other stakeholders or itself.
The supervised entity adopts procedures for the prevention and management of risks of conflicts of interest.
It is required to document, using appropriate information, the manner in which conflicts of interest have been managed.
TITLE V: GROUP DIMENSION
Article 45: In the exercise of their responsibilities, the deliberative and executive bodies of the parent company establish general policies at the group level as well as the governance structure enabling it to be equipped with an integrated and harmonized steering framework.
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Furthermore, the presence of control and audit functions at the group level does not exempt supervised entities operating at the level of Congolese subsidiaries from their responsibilities.
Article 46: The attributions of the parent company must neither exclude nor limit those of the deliberative and executive bodies of Congolese subsidiaries.
Consequently, the deliberative and executive bodies of Congolese subsidiaries must fully retain their responsibilities, particularly those related to preserving the financial solidity of their institutions, strategic choices contributing to the protection of depositors' interests, risk management, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
TITLE VI: TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 47: Supervised entities are required to ensure strict observance of the provisions of this Instruction.
Non-compliance by supervised entities with the provisions of this Instruction exposes offenders to the sanctions provided for by the legal and regulatory provisions in this regard.
Article 48: Microfinance companies and micro-credit enterprises have a period of eighteen (18) months to comply with the provisions of this Instruction.
To this end, they are required to transmit quarterly to the Central Bank of Congo/Direction of Approvals and Regulation, a detailed report on the state of implementation of the requirements of this Instruction.
Article 49: This Instruction enters into force on the date of its signature and repeals all provisions contrary to it.
Done in Kinshasa on 04 JUL. 2023
MALANGU KABEDI MBUYI Governor
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