Central Bank of Sudan Directive on Controls to Limit the Risks Associated with New Payment Instruments and Mobile Payment Services (2026)

In June 2026 the Central Bank of Sudan (CBOS) issued a directive to banks and financial institutions setting out controls to limit the money-laundering, terrorist-financing and proliferation-financing risks that may arise through new technologies and channels used to deliver financial products and services, with a particular focus on mobile payment services and other new payment instruments. The directive reflects the CBOS's role as overseer of electronic and mobile payment, e-money provision and the retail payment system, and forms part of broader efforts to strengthen supervision of emerging payment technologies while safeguarding the integrity of Sudan's banking and financial sector, a sector operating under significant institutional and economic strain. The directive requires institutions providing mobile payment services to comply, at a minimum, with the requirements to obtain the information related to fund transfers stipulated under Sudan's anti-money-laundering, counter-terrorist-financing and counter-proliferation legislation when customers use such services to transfer money. It instructs financial institutions to ensure that mobile payment services can be suspended where they are misused, and that this suspension right is expressly included in customer service agreements. Institutions must conduct continuous monitoring of transactions carried out through these services and generate exception reports for any unusual or suspicious activity. The directive further requires banks and financial institutions to set reasonable limits both on the funding of accounts used for mobile payment services and on the value of transactions that may be conducted through these platforms, thereby containing the risk exposure of new payment channels. Taken together, these measures embed financial-crime safeguards into the design and operation of mobile and other new payment instruments, conditioning their roll-out on adequate customer due diligence, monitoring, transaction limits and the ability to intervene where services are abused. Supervision and enforcement rest with the CBOS, which oversees compliance by banks and financial institutions. (Original language: Arabic; reported in English via secondary source, primary CBOS text to be verified.)

1. 1Directs banks and financial institutions to control ML/TF/proliferation risks from new payment technologies and mobile payment services
2. 2Requires collection of fund-transfer information under AML/CFT/CPF legislation for mobile payment transfers
3. 3Requires ability to suspend misused mobile payment services, expressly stated in customer agreements
4. 4Mandates continuous transaction monitoring and exception reports for unusual or suspicious activity
5. 5Requires reasonable limits on account funding and transaction values for mobile payment platforms
6. 6Places compliance oversight with the Central Bank of Sudan