Updated 12 November 2026
The official way to check a licensed money remittance provider in Kenya is to search the Central Bank of Kenya’s money-remittance-provider directory, not a shop-front name or a mobile-app listing. The file CBK was still publishing when checked on 12 November 2026 is the Directory of Licenced Money Remittance Providers (MRPs) as at September 30, 2026. The PDF is 5 pages and is marked “C2: CBK – Official”. Its metadata shows it was created on 8 October 2026. CBK also maintains a directory landing page under Bank Supervision. Later filenames for an October 2026 or November 2026 edition were not on the server when checked.
On a count of that official PDF, the list is numbered 1 to 37. This guide does not paste the names. Search the exact legal name. A later official directory would supersede the 30 September 2026 edition. A forex bureau, a commercial bank or a mobile-money product is not a money remittance provider merely because it can send or receive cash.
On this page
In this guide
What a money-remittance-provider licence is
On its Bank Supervision pages, checked on 12 November 2026, CBK keeps a distinct “directory of licensed money remittance providers”, alongside directories for commercial banks, microfinance banks, foreign exchange bureaus and digital credit providers. The MRP list is the public record of names CBK has included as licensed money remittance providers in that edition. It is not the same file as the forex-bureau directory, and it is not a table of diaspora inflows; those inflows are published separately, as we have already set out in our guide to diaspora remittances by country.
If you are sending or collecting money through a remittance shop or an MRP app, the legal name on the receipt, the till or the app should match a name on the official MRP list, or you should have a written explanation from CBK for why it does not. A rate board or a brand sticker is not, by itself, a licence.
How to search for a licensed money remittance provider in Kenya
Download the official list of a licensed money remittance provider in Kenya — the 30 September 2026 PDF — from centralbank.go.ke rather than a republished copy. Open it in a reader and use search (Ctrl+F or Command+F) for the exact legal name on the contract, the receipt or the app. Try “Money Transfer”, “Money Remittance”, “Limited” and “Ltd” if the first search fails, then confirm with CBK rather than guessing. Do not stop at a brand that is shorter than the legal name in the “Name of MRP” column.
Each entry typically records a location, contact details (a postal address, telephone and email) and the date of licensing. Those fields help you match the institution. A telephone number or email in a September 2026 directory is not, by itself, proof that a later WhatsApp number or a new website belongs to the provider. Read the fields as printed; do not “correct” a location or a box number that looks unusual.
The file we checked is 5 pages. It was created on 8 October 2026 and was still the edition posted on 12 November 2026. Use it as the current official list unless and until CBK replaces it with a later directory.
What the 37 entries include, and what they omit
The official PDF is numbered 1 to 37. That is the complete set of institutions in this edition of the directory of a licensed money remittance provider in Kenya. This guide does not reproduce the 37 names and does not group them by town. The source for those details is the PDF itself. If the legal name you were given is not one of the 37, do not treat a similar trading name as a match.
The list also does not say whether a provider is under any special supervisory measure, and it does not publish transfer fees or exchange rates. A name on the list is official evidence that CBK included that institution in the 30 September 2026 directory. It is not a finding that a particular agent, shop unit or social-media account belongs to the provider, and it is not a quote for a transfer.
If your receipt uses an older name, or a name you remember from a previous year, search the current PDF anyway. Directories are replaced from time to time. An institution that appeared in an earlier edition may or may not appear in this one. The 30 September 2026 file is the edition to use until CBK publishes a newer official list.
How this sits with other CBK licences
CBK’s Bank Supervision pages keep the money-remittance-provider list separate from the foreign-exchange-bureau directory and from the commercial-bank and microfinance-bank directories. A bureau that changes cash over the counter is licensed as a forex bureau, under rules we have already set out in our guide to the rules forex bureaus must follow. That firm is not a money remittance provider unless it also appears on this 37-name MRP file. A bank may offer inward or outward transfers under its own banking licence; that service is not automatically an MRP on this PDF.
If you cannot find a licensed money remittance provider in Kenya of that legal name on the 30 September 2026 list, ask CBK before you hand over cash. A familiar brand, a mall kiosk or an app store listing is not a substitute for the official directory.
Who to contact at CBK
The official contact page, checked on 12 November 2026, says communication to the Central Bank of Kenya should be addressed to Haile Selassie Avenue, P.O. Box 60000-00200, Nairobi, Kenya. Published numbers include +254 20 286 0000, +254 20 286 1000, +254 20 286 3000, +254 709 081 000 and +254 709 083 000. The page also lists comms@centralbank.go.ke.
When you write, include the exact legal name you were given, the document or app on which it appears, and the date you searched the 30 September 2026 directory. The official list answers a narrow question: is this name among the 37 institutions in the current Directory of Licenced Money Remittance Providers? It does not, on its own, set a fee or approve a transfer.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the official money-remittance-provider list?
On centralbank.go.ke, as a PDF titled Directory of Licenced Money Remittance Providers as at September 30, 2026, created on 8 October 2026 and still posted when checked on 12 November 2026. That file is the current official list of a licensed money remittance provider in Kenya. Search that file. A later official directory would replace it.
How many licensed money remittance providers are on the list?
The official 30 September 2026 PDF is numbered 1 to 37. That count is for this edition of the directory of a licensed money remittance provider in Kenya only.
Is a money remittance provider the same as a forex bureau?
No. CBK keeps separate official directories for money remittance providers and for foreign exchange bureaus. A firm can appear on one list without appearing on the other.
Does this list include commercial banks?
Not automatically. A commercial bank appears, if at all, in CBK’s commercial-bank directory. A remittance firm belongs on this 37-name file only if CBK included it in this edition.
Prefer WhatsApp? Follow Business Radar on WhatsApp
We will email you a weekly money and business brief. We store your email (and your name, if you give one) for that purpose, under the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019. You can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy policy.
