Regulatory AlertsCape Verde: fintech & payments regulation
Partially regulatedNo dedicated fintech regime; payments regulated under LAIF via BCV restricted authorization
- Lead regulator
- Banco de Cabo Verde (BCV)
- Also involved
- None identified in provided documents
- Core law
- Law on Financial Activities and Institutions (LAIF) No. 62/VIII/2014
- Entry capital
- —
- Approval timeline
- —
- Customer assets
- —
- Data protection
- —
- Sandbox
- No
Cape Verde lacks a specific fintech or e-money license. Payment activities generally require authorization as a Credit Institution or Non-Bank Financial Institution under the LAIF, supervised by the Banco de Cabo Verde (BCV). The regulatory framework relies on the 2014 LAIF and LBSF, with BCV issuing notices on capital and authorization models. There is no explicit mention of modern payment institution licenses or open banking mandates in the provided documents.
Which licence do you need?
| Your activity | Requirement | Capital | Timeline | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment processing / gateway | LicenceRestricted Authorization Credit Institution[1] Requires BCV authorization under LAIF; specific payment processor license not defined | — | — | Banco de Cabo Verde |
| E-money & wallet issuance | LicenceRestricted Authorization Credit Institutionverify with regulator No specific e-money license; likely falls under financial institution authorization | — | — | Banco de Cabo Verde |
| Domestic money transfer | LicenceRestricted Authorization Credit Institutionverify with regulator Domestic transfers require financial institution status under LAIF | — | — | Banco de Cabo Verde |
| Cross-border remittance | LicenceRestricted Authorization Credit Institutionverify with regulator Cross-border remittance likely requires full financial institution authorization | — | — | Banco de Cabo Verde |
| Agent network | Uncertainverify with regulator Agent network rules not specified in provided documents | — | — | — |
| Open banking / account information | Unregulatedverify with regulator No open banking framework identified in provided documents | — | — | — |
| Foreign-exchange services | LicenceRestricted Authorization Credit Institution FX services require financial institution authorization under LAIF | — | — | Banco de Cabo Verde |
Market-entry checklist
- 1Secure BCV authorizationApply for Restricted Authorization under LAIF Article 6(4)(a) via BCV Notice No. 1/2015.
- 2Meet capital requirementsAlign share capital with BCV Notice No. 3/2015 thresholds for financial institutions.
- 3Complete registration formSubmit standardized registration form per BCV Circular 182/2015 detailing governance and capital.
- 4Establish legal entityIncorporate as a credit or non-bank financial institution under Law No. 61/VIII/2014 (LBSF).