The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has unveiled a Banking Sector Cybersecurity Operations Centre, known as BS-SOC, aimed at strengthening the country’s financial system against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

In a statement released on Monday, September 22, 2025, the BS-SOC is part of CBK’s strategic plan for 2024–2027 and aligns with the new Computer Misuse and Cybercrime (Critical Information Infrastructure and Cybercrime Management) Regulations, 2024.

The centre will operate under CBK’s Cyber Fusion Unit and is tasked with providing critical services, including cyber threat intelligence, incident response, digital forensics, and cyber investigations.

“The BS-SOC is currently under CBK’s Cyber Fusion Unit, and is equipped to provide critical services such as Cyber Threat Intelligence, Incident Response, Digital Forensics, and Cyber Investigations,” CBK said.

In addition to the launch of the BS-SOC, the central bank is reviewing and harmonising existing cybersecurity guidelines for banks and payment service providers.

The Commercial Banks Cybersecurity Guidelines 2017 and the Payment Service Providers Cybersecurity Guidelines 2019 are being aligned with the 2024 regulations to ensure regulatory compliance across the sector.

“CBK takes note of the prevailing regulatory compliance pressures and has commenced the process of aligning and harmonising the Commercial Banks Cybersecurity Guidelines 2017 and the Payment Service Providers Cybersecurity Guidelines 2019 with the provisions of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Regulations 2024. Meanwhile, all regulated institutions must continue to comply with both sets of requirements simultaneously and are mandated to report cybersecurity incidents to the BS-SOC within stipulated timelines under the CMCA Regulations,” the statement said.

CBK stressed that the initiative’s success relies on strong cooperation between all stakeholders in the banking sector.

“The successful implementation of this initiative requires the full collaboration and cooperation of all stakeholders. This partnership is imperative to enhance the resilience of the banking sector against the significant and persistent challenges posed by sophisticated cyber threat actors,” the central bank said.