Regulatory AlertsHaiti: lending & credit regulation
RegulatedHaiti lending: BRH-regulated via circulars; no specific fintech license; high operational risk
- Lead regulator
- Banque de la République d'Haïti (BRH)
- Also involved
- None identified
- Core law
- Law of August 28, 1984 (and subsequent BRH Circulars)
- Entry capital
- —
- Approval timeline
- —
- Customer assets
- —
- Data protection
- No specific data protection law identified in sources
- Sandbox
- No
Lending is strictly regulated by the central bank (BRH) through binding circulars. There is no specific 'fintech' or 'digital lender' license; operators must likely qualify as credit institutions or microfinance entities. The sector is heavily constrained by socio-political instability, resulting in frequent moratoria and restructuring mandates. No dedicated consumer credit law exists outside of BRH circulars.
Which licence do you need?
| Your activity | Requirement | Capital | Timeline | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer lending | LicenceCredit Institution / MFI License[1][2] Must be licensed financial institution; Circular 11 requires Gouda denomination. | — | — | Banque de la République d'Haïti (BRH) |
| SME / commercial lending | LicenceCredit Institution License Subject to credit risk concentration limits (Circular 83-5). | — | — | Banque de la République d'Haïti (BRH) |
| Microfinance | LicenceMicrofinance Institution (MFI) License[3] Strict credit risk management standards apply (Circular BRH/IMF/2026/1). | — | — | Banque de la République d'Haïti (BRH) |
| Buy-now-pay-later | Uncertainverify with regulator No specific BNPL regime; likely falls under general credit rules. | — | — | — |
| P2P lending platform | Uncertainverify with regulator No specific P2P lending framework identified. | — | — | — |
| Credit bureau / scoring | RegistrationBIC Member[4] Mandatory data transmission to Credit Information Bureau (BIC) required. | — | — | Banque de la République d'Haïti (BRH) |
| Debt collection | Uncertainverify with regulator No specific debt collection license identified; likely general business. | — | — | — |
New — what changed recently
- 2026-05-12Circular 115-4 — Mandated loan moratorium until March 31, 2024, for affected institutions.[1]
- 2026-02-16Circular BRH/IMF/2026/1 — Imposed strict credit risk management standards on Microfinance Institutions.[3]
- 2025-09-15Circular 105-2 — Mandated monthly transmission of credit data to the Credit Information Bureau.[4]
Market-entry checklist
- 1Secure BRH Financial LicenseObtain authorization as a credit institution or MFI from the central bank.
- 2Register with Credit BureauConnect to the BIC system for mandatory monthly credit data reporting.
- 3Implement Risk ManagementAdhere to strict credit risk concentration and provisioning circulars.
- 4Denominate in GoudaEnsure all new consumer credit is issued exclusively in local currency.
Sources
- Circular 115-4 · 2026-05-12
- Circular Letter No. 11: Consumer Credit · 2015-07-02
- Circular BRH/IMF/2026/1 on the Management of Credit Risk for Microfinance Institutions · 2026-02-16
- Circular 105-2 – To Financial Institutions · 2025-09-15