Regulatory AlertsMozambique: lending & credit regulation
RegulatedMozambique: Centralized banking regulation for credit; no specific fintech license
- Lead regulator
- Banco de Moçambique
- Also involved
- None identified
- Core law
- Financial Institutions Law (Law No. 18/2017)
- Entry capital
- —
- Approval timeline
- —
- Customer assets
- Licensed entity only
- Data protection
- Data Protection Law (Law No. 23/2023)
- Sandbox
- No
Credit activities are strictly regulated by the central bank, Banco de Moçambique (BM). Only licensed credit institutions and financial companies may grant credit. There is no specific regulatory framework for non-bank fintech lenders, P2P platforms, or BNPL providers; such entities likely require full banking or financial company licenses to operate legally. The regulatory environment is centralized, with BM overseeing prudential standards, credit registries, and consumer protection disclosures.
Which licence do you need?
| Your activity | Requirement | Capital | Timeline | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer lending | LicenceCredit Institution or Financial Company License[1] Requires full banking license; no specific consumer credit license exists. | — | — | Banco de Moçambique |
| SME / commercial lending | LicenceCredit Institution or Financial Company License[1] Same licensing requirement as consumer lending. | — | — | Banco de Moçambique |
| Microfinance | LicenceFinancial Company License[1] Explicitly regulated as a distinct category of financial company. | — | — | Banco de Moçambique |
| Buy-now-pay-later | Uncertainverify with regulator No specific BNPL regime; likely requires full credit license. | — | — | — |
| P2P lending platform | Uncertainverify with regulator No specific P2P framework; platform operators may need licensing. | — | — | — |
| Credit bureau / scoring | RegistrationCredit Registry Membership[2] Mandatory reporting to Central Credit Registry for supervised entities. | — | — | Banco de Moçambique |
| Debt collection | Uncertainverify with regulator No specific debt collection license identified. | — | — | — |
New — what changed recently
- 2025-04-09Notice No. 3/GBM/2025 — Reduced minimum regulatory provision percentages for non-performing loans for 12 months.[3]
- 2024-12-30Notice No. 12/GBM/2024 — Modernized Central Credit Registry regulation, mandating loan data reporting.[2]
- 2023-10-16Notice No. 5/GBM/2023 — Established mandatory pre-contractual credit information disclosure rules.[1]
Market-entry checklist
- 1Obtain BM LicenseApply for Credit Institution or Financial Company license from Banco de Moçambique.
- 2Register Credit RegistryConnect to and report data to the Central Credit Registry per Notice 12/2024.
- 3Implement FINC SheetsUse standardized pre-contractual information sheets per Notice 5/2023.
- 4Comply with LTV/DTIAdhere to 100% LTV and DTI ratios for creditworthiness assessment.
Sources
- Notice No. 5/GBM/2023, of October 16 - Establishes the Rules for Disclosure and Provision of Pre-Contractual Credit Information · 2023-10-16
- Notice No. 12/GBM/2024, December 30 – Regulation of the Credit Registry Central · 2024-12-30
- Notice No. 3/GBM/2025, of April 9 – Exceptional Regime for Minimum Regulatory Provisions · 2025-04-09