Instruction n° 24 de la Banque Centrale du Congo relative à l'émission de monnaie électronique et aux établissements de monnaie électronique (BCC Instruction No. 24 on the Issuance of Electronic Money and Electronic Money Establishments) (DRC)

Instruction No. 24 of the Banque Centrale du Congo (BCC) regulates the issuance of electronic money and the activity of electronic-money establishments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. First issued in 2011 and revised by the BCC in subsequent years, it is the central instrument through which mobile money and e-wallet services, a major driver of financial inclusion in the DRC, are brought within the regulated perimeter and supervised by the central bank. The Instruction defines electronic money and establishes the category of electronic-money establishment (établissement de monnaie électronique), enabling the issuance and management of e-money by dedicated providers, including arrangements involving mobile-network operators, alongside banks. It sets the conditions of access to the activity, including authorisation by the BCC, and the prudential, organisational and operational requirements that issuers must satisfy. Core requirements address minimum capital and financial-soundness conditions; the safeguarding of customer funds, typically through the obligation to back outstanding electronic money with equivalent funds held in dedicated accounts so that float is protected and redeemable at par; governance, internal-control and risk-management arrangements; know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering / counter-terrorist-financing obligations; the use of agents and distribution networks to extend reach; and consumer-protection measures including transparency, redeemability and complaints handling. By regulating e-money issuance specifically, the Instruction provides the legal basis for the rapid growth of mobile-money services in the DRC and complements the Law of 9 July 2018 on payment systems and the BCC's more recent instruction on interoperability and the national monetary switch. Supervision and enforcement are exercised by the BCC, which authorises electronic-money establishments, monitors their compliance with capital, safeguarding and conduct requirements, and may impose corrective measures or withdraw authorisation. Because the Instruction has been amended over time, the precise thresholds and conditions should be checked against the latest consolidated version. (Original language: French.)

1. 1Regulates the issuance of electronic money and creates the electronic-money establishment category in the DRC
2. 2Permits e-money issuance by dedicated providers (including mobile-network-operator arrangements) alongside banks, subject to BCC authorisation
3. 3Sets minimum capital and financial-soundness conditions for issuers
4. 4Requires safeguarding of the e-money float through equivalent dedicated backing funds, redeemable at par
5. 5Imposes KYC/AML-CFT, governance, internal-control and agent-network rules
6. 6Mandates consumer-protection measures (transparency, redeemability, complaints) under BCC supervision