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Dominican Republic: fintech & payments regulation

Regulated

Dominican Republic fintech profile: Securities regulation under SIMV; payments framework under Law 183-02

Lead regulator:
Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores (SIMV) / Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD)
Key law:
Law No. 183-02 (Monetary and Financial Law) and Law No. 249-17 (Securities Law)
Last updated:
2026-07-12

The Dominican Republic maintains a dual regulatory framework for financial services. The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) oversees the monetary and financial system, including payment institutions, under Law No. 183-02. The Securities Market Superintendence (SIMV) regulates capital markets, securities intermediaries, and trading mechanisms under Law No. 249-17 and its associated resolutions.

While the provided documents extensively detail SIMV's oversight of securities activities—such as public offerings, centralized trading mechanisms, and investment funds—they do not explicitly define a standalone 'fintech' or 'virtual asset' licensing regime. Payment services and general financial intermediation fall under the BCRD's purview as established by the Monetary and Financial Law.

The regulatory environment is characterized by strict authorization requirements for securities market participants and ongoing updates to operational regulations. There is no explicit ban on fintech activities, but the absence of specific digital asset legislation in the provided texts suggests that such activities are either unregulated or subject to general financial laws pending specific regulatory guidance.

Who regulates

  • Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores (SIMV)

    Primary supervisor of securities markets, intermediaries, and trading mechanisms.

    [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

  • Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD)

    Supervisor of the monetary and financial system, including payment institutions.

    [12]

Core laws & rules

  • Law No. 183-02 (2002)

    Establishes the regulatory and institutional framework for the monetary and financial system, granting autonomy to the Monetary Administration.

    [12]

  • Law No. 249-17 (2017)

    Securities Law governing the authorization, operational requirements, and definitions for securities intermediaries and public offerings.

    [2][6][10]

  • Law No. 479-08 (2008)

    General Law of Commercial Companies and Individual Limited Liability Enterprises, modernizing corporate legislation.

    [13]

Licensing & registration

  • Securities Intermediaries

    Authorization and operational requirements established for securities intermediaries and brokers.

    [2]

  • Centralized Trading Mechanisms

    Legal framework for establishing and operating centralized trading mechanisms under SIMV supervision.

    [10]

  • Payment Institutions

    Regulated under the Monetary and Financial Law; specific licensing details not provided in source documents.

    Low confidence — verify with the regulator before relying on this.

Restrictions & warnings

  • Strict confidentiality and insider trading prevention measures are mandated for public offerings and securities transactions.

    [6]

  • Risk rating agencies must maintain independence and adhere to specific authorization and registration criteria.

    [7]

Direction of travel

  • Regulatory framework is actively updated with new resolutions governing mergers, control changes, and specific market participants like securitization companies.

    [4][3]

  • No specific fintech or virtual asset legislation is evident in the provided documents; regulation remains focused on traditional securities and monetary systems.

Sources

  1. Regulation on Tariffs for Regulatory Purposes and Services of the Securities Market Superintendence · 2026-06-01
  2. Regulation for Securities Intermediaries, modified by Resolution R-CNMV-2025-30-MV · 2026-01-13
  3. R-CNMV-2025-01-MV — Regulation for Public Offering Trust Fiduciaries, Securitization Companies, and Autonomous Assets in Securitization Processes · 2025-04-04
  4. R-CNMV-2024-09-MV — Regulation on Change of Control, Merger, Supervision, Administrative Intervention, Dissolution and Liquidation of Securities Market Participants · 2024-10-21
  5. Third Resolution of the National Securities Market Council Approving the Regulation of Price-Providing Companies · 2023-03-01
  6. Public Offering Regulation, modified by Resolution R-CNMV-2022-16-MV · 2022-12-22
  7. R-CNMV-2022-03-MV — Regulation for Risk Rating Agencies · 2022-04-26
  8. Regulation of Investment Management Companies and Investment Funds · 2021-08-26
  9. Third Resolution R-CNMV-2021-17-MV: Regulation on Supervision, Change of Control, Merger, Administrative Intervention, Suspension and Exclusion of Issuers and Public Offering Securities · 2021-07-28
  10. Resolution R-CNMV-2019-17-MV: Regulation to Establish and Operate Centralized Trading Mechanisms · 2019-08-11
  11. Third Resolution R-CNMV-2019-16-MV: Regulation for Establishing and Operating in the OTC Market and Securities Transaction Recording Systems · 2019-08-02
  12. Law No. 183-02 Approving the Monetary and Financial Law · 2022-09-16
  13. General Law of Commercial Companies and Individual Limited Liability Enterprises No. 479-08 · 2017-06-27

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This guide is compiled automatically from 13 primary-source documents published by Dominican Republic's regulators, reviewed by RegAlert, and refreshed monthly (last updated 2026-07-12). It is not legal advice — always confirm requirements with the regulator or local counsel before acting.