Bureaux de Change are entities licensed under Bank of Botswana Act (Cap 55:01). To carry out the business of buying and selling foreign currency (section 30). These licences are necessary so that the public has confidence that the businesses are operating in a prudent and ethical manner. The bureaux de change are regulated by Bank of Botswana in accordance with the Bank of Botswana (Bureaux de Change) Regulations of 2004.
It is illegal for businesses to trade foreign exchange without a licence.
As at the end of 2020, 60 bureaux de change were operating in Botswana. A list of these can be found in the Directory of Financial Institutions Operating in Botswana, published by the Bank of Botswana. The cancellation of existing licences is announced through press releases issued by the Bank. For more information on the activities of bureaux de change operating in Botswana, please download the latest Bank of Botswana Banking Supervision Annual Report.
