Banks in Sudan

Use only a bank or financial provider listed or approved by CBOS. Unlicensed banking, exchange, remittance or digital-payment dealings can create fraud, money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing risks. Customer and depositor funds have legal protection, but the exact scope and amount of deposit-guarantee protection should be confirmed with CBOS or the bank because no universal guarantee amount was established in the reviewed material. A bank account in Sudan may be a current or checking account, savings account or investment account. Products may be available in Sudanese pounds or foreign currencies. Minimum balances, eligibility, profit arrangements, fees and account conditions are set by the provider. There is no single national tariff for all banks. Remote account opening is required for all banks under Circular 4/2024, and customers may also apply through a branch or a bank's digital channel. A civil-registry-issued identity document is required. Banks use face recognition as the primary remote-identification method, with optional biometric methods, and apply know-your-customer and customer-due-diligence checks. These checks can include the customer's beneficial owner, purpose, address, telephone number and activity. Foreign residents and non-residents may need different documents. A company or other legal entity normally provides registration documents, constitutional documents and authorization evidence. No universal account-opening service deadline applies. Payments can use cash, bank transfers, mobile wallets, cheques and electronic-payment services. Bank applications commonly use a BBAN, meaning the account number used to identify a bank account, while USSD can provide lower-cost access without an internet connection or smartphone. A mobile wallet is electronic money backed by a bank deposit. Under the published mobile-payment rule, one customer may have a maximum of one wallet per system, and the wallet operates in local currency. Mobile-wallet eligibility, agent coverage, fees, settlement reliability and availability depend on the provider. Licensed digital-payment names include MoMo, SudanPay, Cashi, Bravo, Zikher, SAH, Bede and Nil Pay; verify the current licence and official application before use. The reviewed CBOS limits are subject to change and apply until further notice: interbank application transfers are limited to SDG 1,000,000 per day, transfers within the same bank through an application to SDG 15,000,000 per day, cash withdrawals at a bank counter to SDG 3,000,000 per day, ATM withdrawals to SDG 50,000 per day and peer-to-peer application transfers to SDG 15,000,000 per day. Confirm the current limit with the bank or CBOS before a large transaction. Payment cards and electronic cheques are recognized under the Electronic Transactions Act, but card availability, ATM and point-of-sale coverage, fees and limits remain bank-specific. Visa or Mastercard connections require a national switch or payment gateway and prior written CBOS approval; no universal current card-acceptance standard was established. Banks must provide a customer-protection unit or complaint channel. A bank complaint has a target handling period of no more than one month, after which the customer can escalate the matter to CBOS. The CBOS complaint channel does not handle matters already filed in court. Customers can request account statements at least quarterly and on demand. They should keep KYC information accurate and updated, protect PINs and passwords, report unknown transactions promptly, retain contracts and receipts, and never sign blank documents. CBOS lists its contact address as Port Sudan, P.O. 34, with info@cbos.gov.sd and 00249187056000. Digital services should use encryption, strong credential controls, fraud monitoring, access controls, privacy safeguards and business-continuity arrangements; check the provider's official domain or application because uptime, agent reach and incident response differ across providers.