The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) intends to staff up a dedicated unit to license and supervise virtual-asset firms, advertising four roles in its website that will map out how it will vet and approve crypto wallet providers, payment processors, and stablecoin issuers as the new rules take effect.
- •Applications for the positions of Manager (Virtual Assets Service Provider Licensing), Deputy Manager (Licensing & Products Approval), Deputy Manager (Oversight & Compliance), and Senior Business Analyst will close on 18 May at 5:00 p.m.
- •The hires sit within the regulator’s Digital Payment Services Division and will anchor both the front-end licensing pipeline and the back-end supervisory regime for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs).
- •The draft VASP regulations released earlier this year assign the CBK responsibility for licensing and supervising firms handling custody, payments, and fiat-linked digital tokens, while regulating market-facing activities fall to the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).
At the top of the structure, the manager role carries responsibility for approving or declining VASP applications and new products, aligning regulations with international standards and leading policy development including drafting guidelines and standard operating procedures. The position also includes chairing regulatory meetings with prospective applicants, managing section budgets, and overseeing staff training.
Below that, two deputy manager roles split the pipeline. One focuses on licensing and product approvals, reviewing applications, analyzing documentation, recommending approvals to management and handling correspondence with applicants.
The second centers on oversight and compliance, conducting risk-based supervision, on-site and off-site examinations, and investigations into breaches such as unlicensed activity or market abuse. That role also includes enforcing corrective actions and sanctions, monitoring capital adequacy and governance, and acting as the primary supervisory contact for licensed firms.
Candidates are required to demonstrate working knowledge of AML/CFT frameworks, payment system risks, cybersecurity, and emerging virtual-asset technologies, alongside familiarity with the VASP Act and broader National Payment System laws. The compliance role goes further, requiring experience in prudential supervision, consumer protection, and financial reporting, as well as an understanding of stablecoins, wallet infrastructure, and virtual-asset typologies.
At the entry-to-mid level, the senior business analyst role will handle document-level scrutiny of applications, processing approvals for new VASP products and company names, maintaining applicant logs and supporting stakeholder engagement. Even at this level, the bank is seeking familiarity with payment innovations, card systems, mobile money and P2P infrastructure.
Experience thresholds range from three years for analysts to seven years for the managerial role. Academic requirements span economics, law, finance, computer science and related fields, with professional certifications in banking, accounting or risk management listed as advantages.
The hiring push comes as Kenya moves toward finalizing a regulatory framework that will formally integrate virtual assets into the financial system. The Draft rules published by the National Treasury envision strict licensing, “fit and proper” tests, capital requirements and detailed operational disclosures.
Taken together, the job descriptions suggest the regulator is preparing not just to issue licenses, but to continuously monitor, audit and enforce compliance across the sector, a shift from its 2015 advisory warning against engagement with cryptocurrency.
