Every mobile money wallet now linked to national ID – RBZ

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has completed the integration of the national Civil Registry database with mobile financial services subscriber records, a move aimed at strengthening identity verification, curbing fraud and choking off illicit financial flows.

The integration allows for biometric and national identification verification of mobile money users, cross-checking subscriber details held by mobile network operators and mobile money platforms against official Civil Registry records.

The move follows a directive issued by RBZ Governor John Mushayavanhu in his 2026 Monetary Policy Statement (MPS), delivered in February.

Mushayavanhu instructed all mobile money operators to de-register accounts that could not be verified against valid national identification documents by the end of June.

This built on a 2021 regulatory directive that had already enforced a strict “one line, one wallet” policy, limiting each SIM card to a single mobile money account.

Despite that earlier measure, inconsistencies persisted within mobile network operators’ subscriber databases, exposing gaps that the latest measures are designed to close.

Responding to questions from The Herald, Mushayavanhu confirmed that all mobile money operators had completed a customer verification exercise.

“Following the 2026 February Monetary Policy Statement, the Reserve Bank directed all mobile money operators to complete a customer verification exercise and submit proof of compliance by 30 June 2026,” he said.

“All operators have since met this requirement and provided the necessary documentation.”

He added that all mobile money wallets had been rescreened in collaboration with the Civil Registry, with the Reserve Bank’s follow-up verification process concluding successfully by the 30 June deadline, with no adverse issues noted.

“Furthermore, all mobile money providers have now been integrated with the Civil Registry system to enable customer identity verification during onboarding and ongoing Know Your Customer (KYC) reviews,” he said.