Verified Lender Tracker: CBK-Licensed Loan Apps and What They Really Cost
33 of 33 apps checked are on CBK's licensed list.
Licensed does not mean cheap. Going by the highest APR each lender publishes, 13 apps stay at or under 36% a year, 7 charge between 36% and 100%, and 12 go above 100%.
List checkedCBK Directory of Digital Credit Providers, updated 29 September 2026 (281 lenders)Last verified24 October 2026Costs fromEach lender's Google Play listing, read 13 October 2026
Licensed 27 Jun 2024CBK tel. +254792276761
Bright CashPayablu Credit LimitedKES 5,000 to 550,000 · 91 – 180 days · 10K+ installs
15% to 20%Under 36% a year
Licensed 19 Sep 2022CBK tel. +254728915511
Pawa Kash and Beta PesaSokohela LimitedNot stated in the listing · Pawa Kash 91 – 180 days; Beta Pesa 91 – 360 days · 1M+ installs
Max 24% (annual interest)Under 36% a year
Licensed 30 Jan 2023CBK tel. +254 792 989 705
RocketPesaNatal Tech LimitedKES 5,000 to 50,000 · 91 – 365 days · 500K+ installs
Max 24%Under 36% a year
Licensed 1 Oct 2024CBK tel. +254708233824
SurehelaSure Cred Capital LimitedKES 150,000 to 200,000 · 91 – 120 days · 10K+ installs
Max 26% (annual interest)Under 36% a year
Licensed 1 Oct 2024CBK tel. +254112020926
DavivaPesakuu Credit LimitedNot stated in the listing · 61 – 122 days (incl. extension) · 100K+ installs
Max 30% (incl. fees)Under 36% a year
Licensed 10 Apr 2026CBK tel. +254726863836
Nobel LendingLendara Credit LimitedKES 1,000 to 100,000 · 91 – 180 days · 10K+ installs
10% to 33%Under 36% a year
Licensed 2 Sep 2025CBK tel. +254115900545
Leo CashReazilla DCP LimitedNot stated in the listing · 91 – 360 days · 100K+ installs
27.7% to 33.5%Under 36% a year
Licensed 5 Jun 2025CBK tel. 0748820255
Raha PesaMkulimapay Credit LtdKES 5,000 to 500,000 · 91 – 180 days · 100K+ installs
16% to 34%Under 36% a year
Licensed 6 Mar 2024CBK tel. +254207905106
ZK PesaChapeo Capital LimitedKES 2,000 to 100,000 · 91 – 365 days (incl. extension) · 5M+ installs
12% to 36%Under 36% a year
Licensed 1 Oct 2024CBK tel. +254769159474
FlashPesaAmbush Capital Limited trading under FlashPesaKES 1,000 to 80,000 · 91 – 365 days · 1M+ installs
Max 36% (incl. fee)Under 36% a year
Licensed 5 Jun 2025CBK tel. +25479981870
DG LoanLoan Plus Digital Credit Provider LimitedKES 1,000 to 50,000 · 91 – 360 days · 1M+ installs
12% to 36%Under 36% a year
Licensed 2 Sep 2025CBK tel. +254710170061
ChapMaliFutureinno Digital Tech LimitedKES 1,000 to 100,000 · 91 – 365 days · 100K+ installs
9% to 36%Under 36% a year
Licensed 24 Dec 2025CBK tel. +254741922050
DotCashDotcash Credit LimitedKES 800 to 80,000 · 91 – 365 days · 10K+ installs
Max 36% (annual interest)Under 36% a year
Licensed 5 Jun 2025CBK tel. +2540207901111
PesaIn, ZeloCash and FizaWabema Credit LtdPesaIn KES 1,000 to 150,000; ZeloCash KES 1,000 to 200,000; Fiza KES 800 to 100,000 · 91 – 120 days (ZeloCash up to 180) · 1M+ installs
PesaIn 18.5% to 65.5%; ZeloCash 14.6% to 43.8%; Fiza 16% to 65.5%36% to 100% a year
Licensed 10 Apr 2026CBK tel. +254 775347055
Beavers CreditBeavers Credit LimitedNot stated in the listing · 3 – 12 months · 10+ installs
Max about 66%36% to 100% a year
Licensed 24 Dec 2025CBK tel. +254716517065
AlezaAleza LimitedKES 5,000 to 50,000 · 61 – 90 days · 50K+ installs
26.9% to 67.2%36% to 100% a year
Licensed 19 Sep 2022CBK tel. +254702038679
Bora CreditCeres Tech LimitedKES 500 to 50,000 · 91 – 180 days · 1M+ installs
36% to 72%36% to 100% a year
Licensed 24 Dec 2025CBK tel. +254 701858999
Wakanda CreditWakanda Credit LimitedKES 1,000 to 250,000 · 100 – 360 days · 100+ installs
16.5% to 75%36% to 100% a year
Licensed 1 Oct 2024CBK tel. +254709434900
MomentumMomentum Credit LimitedNot stated in the listing · 3 – 120 months · 100K+ installs
42% to 79%36% to 100% a year
Licensed 2 Sep 2025CBK tel. +254748933558
ElevateElevate Credit LimitedKES 5,000 to 100,000 · 61 – 180 days · 50K+ installs
79.7% to 99%36% to 100% a year
Licensed 30 Jan 2023CBK tel. +254799 136 761
M-KOPAM-Kopa Loan Kenya LimitedKES 4,000 to 15,000 · 105 – 282 days · 5M+ installs
67% to 109%Over 100% a year
Licensed 27 Mar 2023CBK tel. +254746510778
Little PesaLittle Pesa LimitedUp to KES 200,000 (short-term) · 62 days (short-term); longer instalment loans up to 12 months · 100K+ installs
Max 110% (short-term); max 72% (instalment)Over 100% a year
Licensed 6 Mar 2024CBK tel. +254709693000
UbaPesaUbaPesa LimitedNot stated in the listing · 61 – 90 days · 100K+ installs
100% to 112.65%Over 100% a year
Licensed 27 Mar 2023CBK tel. +254742532281
Okolea SuperOkolea International LimitedKES 1,000 to 50,000 · 91 – 365 days · 5K+ installs
30% to 120%Over 100% a year
Licensed 1 Oct 2024CBK tel. +254 (20) 776 6666
Hela PesaHela Capital LimitedKES 500 to 200,000 · 90 days – 2 years · 500K+ installs
30% to 180%Over 100% a year
Licensed 6 Mar 2024CBK tel. 0709332000
SentiSenti Capital LimitedNot stated in the listing · 61 – 120 days · 50K+ installs
90.17% to 192.5%Over 100% a year
Licensed 30 Jan 2023CBK tel. 0800720597 (toll free)
TalaInventure Mobile Limited (Trading as Tala)KES 1,000 to 50,000 · Up to 120 days · 10M+ installs
109.5% to 219%Over 100% a year
Licensed 5 Jun 2025CBK tel. +254798890004
BerryFinberry Capital LtdKES 1,000 to 60,000 · 65 – 120 days · 100K+ installs
27% to 260%Over 100% a year
Licensed 5 Jun 2025CBK tel. +254709029000
LendPlusAventus Technology LimitedKES 1,000 to 150,000 · 61 – 365 days (incl. extensions) · 500K+ installs
Up to 547.5%Over 100% a year
Licensed 6 Mar 2024CBK tel. 0725013031
Zash (also Meta Loan)Zillions Credit LimitedZash KES 500 to 100,000; Meta Loan KES 1,000 to 80,000 · Zash up to 91 days; Meta Loan 91 – 365 days · 10M+ installs
Zash 274% to 1,500%; Meta Loan max 48%Over 100% a year
Licensed 6 Mar 2024CBK tel. +254709462700
KashbeanCreditarea Capital LimitedUp to KES 100,000 · Up to 91 days · 5M+ installs
425% to 1,600% (representative)Over 100% a year
Licensed 27 Mar 2023CBK tel. +254112480254
Zenka (also Koro)Zenka Digital LimitedKES 500 to 200,000 · Up to 91 days (first loan 61 days on Koro) · 10M+ installs
30% to 4,432% (effective)Over 100% a year
Licensed 2 Sep 2025CBK tel. +254784270031
Poa PesaAjax Credit Kenya LimitedKES 6,000 to 40,000 · 100 – 300 days · 100K+ installs
Every line in the ledger above went through the same three checks on 24 October 2026. First, we downloaded the Central Bank of Kenya’s own Directory of Digital Credit Providers, the version updated on 29 September 2026, which lists 281 licensed companies. Second, we matched each loan app to the company that publishes it on Google Play, because CBK licenses companies, not app names. Tala, for example, appears on the CBK list as Inventure Mobile Limited, trading as Tala. Third, we copied the licence date and the telephone number exactly as CBK prints them, so you can compare that number with the one inside the app.
If a company name in an app does not match any name on CBK’s list, the app is not licensed as a digital credit provider, whatever its marketing says. You can check any lender that is not in this ledger with our licence checker, which searches the full CBK list together with SASRA’s Sacco list and the CMA register.
What the Cost Bands Mean
The figure on the right of each line is the annual percentage rate (APR) the lender itself publishes on its Google Play listing. We sort the ledger by the highest APR a lender admits to, because that is the rate many first-time borrowers end up paying before they build a repayment record. The coloured bar is only a guide:
Under 36% a year: close to what a bank or Sacco personal loan can cost once fees are added. These apps mostly offer 91-day or longer terms.
36% to 100% a year: expensive, but within the range of many short-term consumer loans. Check whether the figure includes the processing fee.
Over 100% a year: a 30-day loan here can cost more than a tenth of what you borrowed. Use these only for a true emergency and repay early.
Lenders calculate APR differently. Some quote interest only, some include the one-off fee, and some show a “representative” example. The real cost for you depends on your credit score and the term you pick. Before you accept any offer, look at the total repayment figure the app shows on the final screen and compare it in shillings with our loan app cost checker, which also covers Fuliza and M-Shwari.
Red Flags That a Loan App Is Not Licensed
The company name on Google Play or in the loan agreement does not appear on the CBK list.
The app asks for a fee before it releases the loan. Licensed lenders deduct fees from the loan or add them to the repayment.
The contact number in the app is a personal mobile line that differs from the one CBK publishes.
It demands access to your contacts, photos or messages and threatens to message your family or employer when you are late.
It cannot tell you the total amount you will repay before you accept.
If an app shames you to your contacts or misuses your data, you can report it to CBK and to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner. Our guide on how to check if a loan app is licensed by CBK walks through what to do when an app is missing from the list.
Central Bank of Kenya Pension Towers in Nairobi. Photo: Matti Blume / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Licensed Lenders and Your CRB Record
Licensed digital lenders report to credit reference bureaus. Repaying late can lead to a negative listing that affects bank, Sacco and even other app loans. If you are already listed, our CRB Kenya guide explains how to check your status and clear a listing.
We re-check the ledger whenever CBK publishes a new directory and re-read the lenders’ Google Play listings at least once a month. The “Last verified” date at the top always shows the most recent check. Licence status can change between checks, so if a decision depends on it, open the CBK list linked above before you borrow.
