Kenya’s central bank is proposing new rules that would let it require banks and payment providers to share customer data with licenced third parties, opening the door to open banking in one of Africa’s biggest digital-payments markets.
The draft National Payment System Bill, 2026, would require payment providers to build systems that can securely share customer data for “open finance purposes.” It would also give the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) the power to require providers to enable that sharing once customers have given consent.
The proposal could loosen banks’ and mobile money providers’ control over customer relationships by allowing licenced fintechs to access customer data. That could turn data locked inside banks and M-PESA into a new battleground, giving fintechs a chance to compete for customers without having to own the accounts where their money sits.
“Each payment service provider or payment system operator shall use systems that are capable of securely sharing customer data with third parties for open finance purposes,” the draft bill read.
Originally published by TechCabal.