Botswana

Changes the electronic payment services rules: clarifies which entities may be licensed, aligns sanctions with the wider financial crime legislation, allows interest on e-money balances on conditions, clarifies dormant and unclaimed funds, and introduces merchant tiers with tiered KYC and revised operating limits. The Bank's release of 17 July 2026 states that S.I. No. 46 of 2026 took effect on 2 April 2026; the regulations PDF itself has no machine-readable text.

Sets out how fintech start-ups and established providers can test innovations under Bank supervision: registration criteria (cl. 3.1), assessment of an application and feedback within 30 working days (cl. 7.3), and a test period capped at six months (cl. 10.3). The cover is dated November 2025.

Provides for the licensing, regulation and supervision of banks and deposit-taking institutions. Section 4(1) bars banking business without a licence, section 31 sets financial record-keeping duties and section 33 supervisory reporting. The Bank's press release of 24 November 2025 states that the Act and three sets of regulations took effect on 15 August 2025.

Amends the Bank of Botswana Act. The Bank cites section 4C(1) of this Act as the legal basis for issuing its guidelines, including the 2026 risk management and climate-risk guidelines.

Made on 25 February 2022 under section 63 of the Financial Intelligence Act; they revoke S.I. No. 9 of 2020. They set out national listing of terrorist persons (reg. 4), freezing of listed persons' property (reg. 6), and freezing without delay and within 8 hours of UN Security Council list designations (reg. 11).

Re-enacts the Financial Intelligence Act with amendments. It continues the Financial Intelligence Agency (s.4), requires specified parties to assess risk and run AML/CFT programmes with a compliance officer (ss.13-14), sets customer due diligence (ss.16-21, 28), 20-year record keeping (s.32) and suspicious transaction reporting (ss.38-45), and sets administrative fines and offences.

Made under the Financial Intelligence Act. Regulation 22 sets the filing times for suspicious transaction reports, regulation 20 the cash transaction reporting threshold and regulation 29 the compliance programme requirements.

Act No. 5 of 2003 provides for the recognition, operation, regulation and supervision of clearance and settlement systems. The Bank may recognise a system (s.3), must approve changes to its rules (s.4) and may withdraw recognition (s.6); it also operates the settlement system for banks (s.7) and can require reports and issue directives (ss.8-9).

Act No. 19 of 1996 establishes the Bank of Botswana as the central bank (s.3) and sets its functions; the text gives 1 January 1997 as its commencement. The Bank's site notes that it re-enacted the original 1975 Act.

Establishes the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (s.3), gives it the function of receiving and investigating corruption complaints (s.6) and creates the corruption offences in Part IV (ss.24-35), including bribery in public contracts and unexplained property. Section 45 protects informers' identities. Listed as Act 13 of 1994 with Act 14 of 2005.

Act No. 2 of 1964, Botswana's criminal code, in force from 10 June 1964. Its contents list covers false pretences and cheating (ss.307-311), conspiracy to defraud (s.312), fraudulent false accounting (ss.322-325), forgery (ss.339-358) and corrupt practices (ss.383-387). WIPO Lex lists the version as amended to Act 14 of 2005.