Notice No. 7/GBM/2025, of October 21 — Guidelines on Equitable Access and Use of Financial Products and Services

Official Proof
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 SERIES I — Number 201 SUMMARY

NOTICE
The matter to be published in the "Boletim da República" must be sent as a duly authenticated copy, one for each subject matter, containing the following endorsement, signed and authenticated:
For publication in the "Boletim da República".
IMPRENSA NACIONAL DE MOÇAMBIQUE, E.P.

Bank of Mozambique:
Notice No. 5/GBM/2025:
Establishes the terms for sending to the Bank of Mozambique information necessary for compiling statistics on securities issuances, transactions and positions, distribution of the credit institution and financial company agency network, system interest rates, credits and deposits, external sector and National Payments System, and revokes Notice No. 4/GBM/2020 of April 23.

Notice No. 6/GBM/2025:
Approves the Climate Risk Management Guidelines.

Notice No. 7/GBM/2025:
Establishes the guiding guidelines on the policy for equitable access and use of financial products and services.

BANK OF MOZAMBIQUE
Notice No. 7/GBM/2025 of October 21

Showing it necessary to broaden the statistical information base, with a view to monitoring the various forms of fund transmission between economic agents, residents and non-residents, as well as volumes, values, instruments and payment obligations and the evolution of the national financial system, the Bank of Mozambique, under the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 16 of Law No. 1/92 of January 3, the Organic Law of the Bank of Mozambique, and paragraph d) of Article 7 of Law No. 2/2008 of February 27, the National Payments System Law, determines:

CHAPTER I
General Provisions

ARTICLE 1
Object
This Notice establishes the guiding guidelines on the policy for equitable access and use of financial products and services.

ARTICLE 2
Scope
This Notice applies to credit institutions, financial companies and microfinance operators, hereinafter referred to as "institutions".

ARTICLE 3
Definitions
The terms and expressions used in this Notice are defined in the Glossary, contained in Annex 1, which is an integral part thereof.

CHAPTER II
Policy on Equitable Access and Use of Financial Products and Services

ARTICLE 4
Approval and implementation of the equitable access and use policy

1. Institutions must approve and implement the policy on equitable access and use of financial products and services, disseminating it across all agencies and forms of representation, notably agents.
2. The institution's governing body is responsible for approving the policy and monitoring its implementation.
3. Institutions must designate an officer to supervise and monitor the policy's implementation and dissemination within the institution (Women Champion).

ARTICLE 5
Content of the equitable access and use policy for financial products and services

1. The policy must contain, at a minimum, principles and procedures regarding the following:
   a) Gender equity; b) Digital financial inclusion; c) Financial education and capacity building; d) Inclusive service delivery; e) Promotion of strategic partnerships; f) Adaptation of products and services to cultural, demographic characteristics, as well as gender issues; and g) Targets and indicators for women's financial inclusion.

2. In formulating and implementing the gender policy, institutions must observe the principles established in the preceding paragraph and the guidelines contained in Annex 2 to this Notice, which is an integral part thereof.

3. In their policies and internal processes, institutions must ensure gender equity in the access to and use of financial products and services, by adopting operational measures to guarantee financial inclusion, with a view to:
   a) Ensuring that financial products are developed inclusively, addressing women's needs and promoting gender equity; b) Fostering the use of technological and digital solutions to increase women's access to the financial system; c) Implementing strategies for staff capacity building, ensuring that institutional practices are gender-sensitive; and d) Promoting women's financial security, through consumer protection mechanisms and mitigation of financial risks.

4. Institutions must develop mechanisms that encourage the active use of financial products and services targeted at women.

ARTICLE 6
Characteristics of gender-sensitive financial products and services

1. Institutions must guarantee the design and availability of financial products and services adapted to women's needs, ensuring gender equity.

2. Financial products must be developed based on the following principles:
   a) Simplicity: they should be easy to understand and use, with accessible language and simplified structure; b) Flexibility: they should allow adaptations to the specific needs of different user profiles; c) Digital accessibility: they should enable integration with mobile services and inclusive digital platforms; d) Adaptation to women's economic context: there should be specific products for sectors with high female participation, such as agriculture and trade; and e) Sustainability: viable products should be developed that encourage savings, responsible investment and financial resilience in the medium and long term.

3. In developing and providing gender-sensitive financial services, institutions must:
   a) Ensure simplified access to bank accounts; b) Facilitate credit access, adopting flexible eligibility criteria and promoting the use of movable collateral and payment history; c) Promote digital financial inclusion, providing mobile services, electronic payment solutions and interfaces accessible to women with low digital literacy; d) Encourage savings, through financial products that promote women's financial security and economic planning, including integration with microfinance groups; e) Base operations on the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data, encouraging the development of appropriate solutions; and f) Integrate innovative technologies to personalize financial products.

CHAPTER III
Monitoring and Reporting

ARTICLE 7
Institutional monitoring

1. Institutions must prepare and publish annual monitoring reports on their official websites, in accordance with the guidelines contained in Annex 2.
2. The monitoring report must be submitted to the Bank of Mozambique by March 31 of each year.
3. The report structure must contain a mandatory minimum reference defined in Annex 3 of these Guidelines, which is an integral part thereof.

ARTICLE 8
Publication of the report by the Bank of Mozambique The Bank of Mozambique publishes an annual consolidated report on progress made in promoting financial inclusion, with a focus on gender in Mozambique.

CHAPTER IV
Final Provisions

ARTICLE 9
Sanctions regime
Violation of the provisions of this Notice constitutes an offense punishable under Law No. 20/2020 of December 31, the Law on Credit Institutions and Financial Companies.

ARTICLE 10
Clarifications
Doubts regarding the interpretation and application of this Notice must be submitted to the Financial Inclusion Office of the Bank of Mozambique.

ARTICLE 11
Entry into force
This Notice enters into force ninety days from the date of publication.

The Governor, Rogério Lucas Zandamela.

Annex 1
Glossary
For the purposes of this Notice, it is understood that:
a) Gender-disaggregated data approach: Use of financial statistics separated by gender to formulate policies and products more suited to women's needs; b) Inclusive service delivery: Provision of quality financial products and services that meet the needs of all people, including those with different physical, cognitive or cultural conditions; c) Financial education and capacity building: Process of providing knowledge, skills and competencies to people so that they can understand, use and manage available financial products and services efficiently and securely; d) Gender equity: Situation in which men and women have equal opportunities to access and use financial products and services, as a result of implementing actions that reduce specific barriers that may hinder women's access to and use of financial products and services; e) Gender-sensitive financing: Approach that considers structural and socio-economic differences between men and women when designing and offering financial products; f) Gender: Social, behavioral and cultural attributes, expectations and norms associated with a woman or a man; g) Digital financial inclusion: Access to and use of financial services through digital technologies, such as internet, mobile apps, digital banks, among others; and h) Women Champion: Professional or key figure within institutions, responsible for driving women's financial inclusion initiatives, through the promotion and implementation of internal gender-sensitive policies and practices, ensuring that concrete measures are adopted to reduce barriers faced by women in accessing financial products and services.

Annex II
Guidelines on the Policy for Equitable Access and Use of Financial Products and Services

1. Within digital financial inclusion, institutions must promote gender-accessible digital solutions, with particular focus on the most vulnerable, ensuring integration of mobile or electronic services and mobile payments, notably the creation of e-commerce platforms integrated with mobile payment solutions.

2. To broaden gender-sensitive digital financial inclusion, with particular focus on the most vulnerable in rural areas, institutions must:
   a) Implement mobile platforms for digital microcredit, allowing rural areas to access financing autonomously, with simplified processes and facilitated repayments through mobile payments; and b) Develop digital credit products adjusted to the profiles of women in the informal sector and rural areas.

3. Within inclusive service delivery, institutions must:
   a) Adopt measures to strengthen women's participation in the network of banking and non-banking agents, prioritizing rural areas and regions with low density of access points, ensuring a closer, safer service environment sensitive to needs; and b) Establish mentorship and capacity-building programs for female agents, aiming to strengthen their competencies in financial literacy, gender-sensitive service delivery and use of digital tools, promoting user confidence and bringing the financial system closer to local communities through the professional or key figure within the institution responsible for driving women's financial inclusion initiatives (Women Champion).

4. Regarding gender financing and credit alternatives, institutions must:
   a) Encourage the adoption of digital credit solutions, allowing simplified enrollment and automated financial profile analysis; and b) Promote innovative financing solutions, such as:
   i. Digital microcredit, facilitating access to financing through mobile platforms;
   ii. Credit lines for business expansion, allowing women in informal businesses to formalize and expand their activities;
   iii. Financing linked to specific objectives and encouraging sustainable practices; and
   iv. Definition of a financing ceiling for women entrepreneurs, encouraging institutions to allocate part of their portfolio to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) led by women, according to their business strategy and risk analysis.

Annex 3
Minimum Structure of the Monitoring Report on Equitable Access and Use Policy

The monitoring report prepared annually by institutions must observe, at a minimum, the following structure:

1. Introduction
   i. Objective of the report;
   ii. Institutional framework of the Equitable Access and Use Policy; and
   iii. Commitments and alignment with national guidelines.

2. Internal Structure and Governance
   i. Responsible for policy implementation (name of department and/or committee);
   ii. Description of internal monitoring and evaluation structure; and
   iii. Existence of institutional action plan (yes/no) and summary of strategic objectives.

3. Implementation of Equitable Access and Use Policy
   i. Activities carried out in the reference year;
   ii. Integration of gender dimension in products and services;
   iii. Measures adopted to ensure equity in access to and use of financial services; and
   iv. Internal training actions on gender and financial inclusion.

4. Monitoring Indicators
   i. Percentage of female clients (new and active);
   ii. Percentage of credit granted to women (volume and value of operations);
   iii. Percentage of products designed with a gender focus;
   iv. Digital access indicators by sex;
   v. Female participation in the network of agents, promoters or correspondents; and
   vi. Other internal indicators reflecting policy implementation.

5. Results and Impacts
   i. Comparison with internally defined targets;
   ii. Evidence of improvement in women's access to and use of financial services; and
   iii. Qualitative results, where applicable (e.g., customer feedback, case studies).

6. Identified Challenges
   i. Internal or external barriers to policy implementation; and
   ii. Lessons learned and areas for improvement.

7. Plans for the following year
   i. Targets and planned activities;
   ii. Improvements to the gender-disaggregated data collection system; and
   iii. Strategies to strengthen policy impact.

8. Annexes
   i. Annual action plan;
   ii. Disaggregated statistical tables; and
   iii. Other relevant documents (e.g., brochures, internal reports, survey results).

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