Haiti: lending & credit regulation

Who regulates

• Banque de la Republique d'Haiti (BRH)

  Central bank and primary supervisor of credit institutions, microfinance entities, and savings cooperatives.

  ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]}

Core laws & rules

• Law of August 28, 1984 Establishing and Regulating Savings and Housing Banks (1984)

  Establishes Savings and Housing Banks (BEL) as specialized institutions for mobilizing savings for medium and long-term mortgage loans.

  ^[29]

Licensing & registration

• Financial Institutions (Banks, MFIs, Cooperatives)

  The BRH regulates credit institutions, microfinance entities, and savings and credit cooperatives through various circulars mandating risk management, provisioning, and reporting standards.

  ^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

• Consumer Credit

  New consumer credit must be granted exclusively in gourdes. No specific licensing category for non-bank consumer lenders is detailed in the provided documents. Timeline: July 6, 2015

  ^[27]

Restrictions & warnings

• All new consumer credit must be denominated in gourdes to mitigate currency risk.

  ^[27]

• Financial institutions must transmit comprehensive credit data to the Credit Information Bureau (BIC) by the 10th of each month with explicit borrower consent.

  ^[6]

• Strict credit risk concentration limits and quarterly provisioning requirements are mandated for all financial institutions and cooperatives.

  ^[3][4][9]

Direction of travel

• The regulatory stance remains reactive to socio-political instability, with recent circulars extending loan moratoria and restructuring measures through 2025 and 2026.

  ^{[1][10][11][28]}

• The BRH continues to provide targeted incentives for strategic sectors like agriculture, tourism, and housing, including reserve exemptions and refinancing advances.

  ^[7][8][24]

Sources

1. Circular 115-4 · 2026-05-12
2. Circular No. 115-3 · 2026-05-12
3. STANDARD ON CREDIT RISK MANAGEMENT FOR SAVINGS AND CREDIT COOPERATIVES (SCCs) · 2026-04-17
4. Circular 87-1 Loan Classification · 2026-02-16
5. Circular BRH/IMF/2026/1 on the Management of Credit Risk for Microfinance Institutions · 2026-02-16
6. Circular 105-2 – To Financial Institutions · 2025-09-15
7. Circular 130 – On Incentives for the Tourism Sector · 2025-03-24
8. Circular 113 – Incentives for Financing the Agricultural Sector · 2025-03-10
9. Circular 83-5 Provisions on Credit Risk Concentration · 2025-02-18
10. Circular 115-5 on the Renewal of Measures Concerning Moratoria in Favor of Debtor Enterprises of the Financial System · 2024-10-01
11. Circular 115-6 on the Renewal of Measures Concerning Moratoria in Favor of Debtor Enterprises of the Financial System · 2024-10-01
12. Circular 115-2 on Loans Granted to Customers · 2022-12-16
13. Circular 115-1 regarding financial institutions · 2020-07-01
14. Circular 115: Moratorium on Loans and Other · 2020-03-21
15. 09-1 Restructuring of Loans Granted to the Hotel Sector and the Establishment of Related Specific Provisions · 2019-07-10
16. Circular Letter – Restructuring of Hotel Loans · 2019-07-10
17. Circular 113 on Incentives for Financing the Agricultural Sector · 2018-09-28
18. Circular No. 113 on Incentives for Financing the Agricultural Sector · 2018-09-25
19. Circular No. 108: Agricultural Sector Credit · 2016-06-07
20. Circular 106-1 – Free Zone Credits · 2016-06-07
21. Circular 108 – Agricultural Sector Credits · 2016-06-07
22. Circular No 106: Development and Development of Free Zones and Industrial Parks · 2016-03-31
23. 05 Restructuring of Loans and Creation of Specific Provisions · 2015-09-07
24. Circular Letter - Housing Loans · 2015-09-07
25. Circular No. 04: General Provision on Loan Portfolio · 2015-09-07
26. 06 Housing Loans and Mandatory Reserves · 2015-09-07
27. Circular Letter No. 11: Consumer Credit · 2015-07-02
28. Circular 115-7 on Temporary Moratorium and Loan Restructuring Measures · 2012-05-14
29. Law of August 28, 1984 Establishing and Regulating Savings and Housing Banks · 1999-12-25