Payment System Operator — Zambia

The Zambia category mapped to payment switching.

NPS Act 2026: licensed to operate a payment system (clearing/settlement/interoperability) - infrastructure-only definition, single-mapped (aggregation/processing is the separate PASP category; same statutory split as UG, contrast ZA). Facts conditional on register availability.

No entries: The BoZ register (API) was read in full; no entity carries payment-system-operator licence wording. 35 entities sit under the heterogeneous 'DESIGNATED PAYMENT SYSTEMS' heading (switching/gateway/messaging wordings) - counted, not force-fit.

Licence requirements

What it takes to hold this licence, as stated in the cited official instruments. Capital and fees are shown in the currency the statute itself uses.

Requirement	As published	Source	Source date
Minimum capital	Not officially published: No published number. Delegated to BoZ (s.87); no ZMW minimum in the Act or the designation requirements.	National Payment System Act, 2026 (Act No. 5 of 2026) — enabling Act, categories + delegation	2026-04-08
Local presence / incorporation	Body corporate; PACRA; ZICA auditor; local bankers; Zambian head office/branches; foreign-company route (s.14(2)). Verbatim “A person that is not a corporate shall not be issued with a licence under this Act. … may be granted to a foreign company registered in the Republic if the … foreign company is a payment service provider in the country where the … principal place of business is located…”	National Payment System Act, 2026 (Act No. 5 of 2026) — enabling Act, categories + delegation	2026-04-08
Timeline	Determination within 90 days; designation certificate valid until revoked/surrendered, provided the annual fee is paid; 30-day window for extra info; name clearance valid 6 months. Verbatim “Provided an annual designation fee is paid, a designation certificate shall remain valid until it is revoked or surrendered… … An approved name shall be valid for a period of six (6) months…”	BoZ, Requirements for Designating a Payment System, February 2025	2025-02
Local ownership	No local-shareholding %. Governance: min 3 directors, majority non-executive, majority resident in Zambia; fit-and-proper significant shareholders; CEO/CFO/CCO/CITO required. Verbatim “(a) … minimum of three (3) board members … (b) The majority … non-executive … (c) Majority … resident in Zambia.”	BoZ, Requirements for Designating a Payment System, February 2025	2025-02
Fees	Not officially published: Prescribed application fee + annual designation fee — no amounts published.	National Payment System Act, 2026 (Act No. 5 of 2026) — enabling Act, categories + delegation	2026-04-08
Ongoing obligations	Risk-management framework (cyber/operational/credit/liquidity/ML); Payment System Rules incl. failure-to-settle arrangements; BCM/DR plan (RTO/RPO); safeguard customer funds; AML/KYC per FIC Act; BoZ inspection/oversight; board reports going-concern/inability-to-settle risk to BoZ. Verbatim “Payment System Rules including failure to settle arrangements … It has taken adequate measures for the purpose of safeguarding customer funds.”	BoZ, Requirements for Designating a Payment System, February 2025	2025-02

Requirements as published in the cited instruments — not legal or compliance advice. Where a value is located but not yet verified, we show that it exists but don't publish the figure. Verify directly with the regulator.

The equivalent in other markets

Categories mapped to the same normalized activity — fintech:SWITCHING:

Cross-border rules for Zambia →