The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has licensed 27 new Digital Credit Providers (DCPs), in a bid to streamline lending activities in the financial technology space.

In an announcement on Thursday, CBK said the move brings the total number of licensed lenders to 153 following the licensing of 41 DCPs in June 2025.

“The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) announces the licensing of an additional 27 Digital Credit Providers (DCPs). This is pursuant to Section 59(2) of the Central Bank of Kenya Act (CBK Act). This brings the number of licensed DCPs to 153 following the licensing of 41 DCPs announced in June 2025,” a statement from CBK read.

Since March 2022, the regulator has received more than 700 applications with many still under review pending the submission of required documents.

CBK has been engaging applicants on areas such as business models, consumer protection, and the integrity of proposed shareholders, directors, and management teams.

The engagements seek to ensure applicants comply with the law and that customer interests are safeguarded, citing past concerns about predatory lending practices, unethical debt collection methods, and misuse of personal data by unregulated players.

According to CBK, DCPs mostly issue loans digitally through USSD platforms, with products ranging from education and development loans to short-term personal loans, asset financing, and business loans. As of June 2025, licensed DCPs had granted 5.5 million loans valued at Sh76.8 billion.

Details of the newly licensed firms have been published on the CBK website,