FinTech Office

 

ABOUT THE FINTECH OFFICE

Following the issuance of the Financial Sector Blueprint, the FinTech Unit was established. This Unit is responsible for the regulatory and developmental strategies to facilitate the use of financial technology in the financial sector of Brunei Darussalam.

The FinTech Office is run and operated by the FinTech Unit and serves as a one-stop virtual facilitation office where interested parties may contact AMBD on any matters concerning FinTech.

THE FINTECH REGULATORY SANDBOX GUIDELINES

On 27th February 2017, AMBD formally issued the FinTech Regulatory Sandbox Guidelines, which aims to aid in the development of FinTech companies in Brunei Darussalam through the creation of regulatory sandboxes.

A regulatory sandbox allows the testing of FinTech products and services through the usage of a framework that enables qualified companies or businesses to experiment with innovative h solutions in a relaxed regulatory environment, for a limited period of time and boundaries.

The full guidelines may be accessed below.

FinTech Regulatory Sandbox Guidelines

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1.                How do I contact the FinTech Office?

You may contact us at  or by submitting the completed form in the contact us section below.

2.                Do I need a locally registered company to be eligible for a regulatory sandbox?

Yes, please refer to the definition of 'h companies' in the FinTech Regulatory Sandbox Guidelines.

3.                I have an idea for a FinTech solution or company but do not have a working product or service yet. Am I qualified to apply for a regulatory sandbox?

The regulatory sandbox is for companies that have a working solution, i.e. solutions that are ready to be deployed to the market. If your company has not reached this stage yet, you are encouraged to engage the FinTech Office to clarify any questions that you may have concerning applying for a sandbox.

4.                Are there any charges imposed by AMBD for applying to participate in a regulatory sandbox?

No, AMBD will not impose any fees for applying to participate in the regulatory sandbox.

5.                I only wish to perform proof-of-concept testing for my solution. Am I still entitled to apply for a regulatory sandbox?

No, applicants should be able to demonstrate the intention and ability to deploy their product or solution on a broader scale after exiting the sandbox.

6.                When operating in a regulatory sandbox, are participants of a regulatory sandbox allowed to make changes to their products or solutions?

Yes, with certain conditions as stated in section 10 of the h Regulatory Sandbox Guidelines.

7.          Will I be informed of why my application is rejected as unsuitable for a regulatory sandbox and when is re-application allowed?

Yes, you will be informed of the specific reasons for the assessment. There is no cool- off period and an applicant may re-apply as soon as their application has addressed the reasons for its rejection.

8.              If deemed suitable for a regulatory sandbox, how long will it take to complete the evaluation for the approval of a regulatory sandbox?

While AMBD understands the value in providing a definite timeline for a regulatory sandbox application, due to the nature of the product of service involved, including the complexity of the application, it would be impractical to commit on a fixed period on this point. AMBD does commit to working together with the applicant to expedite this process and will rely on the applicant to provide complete information as well.

9.                Will AMBD operate the regulatory sandbox once the sandbox entity has been given approval?

No, the sandbox entity will operate the regulatory sandbox. AMBDs role is to help set-up the parameters of the sandbox as well as to monitor the progress of the testing taking place in that regulatory sandbox.

10.            What happens if a sandbox entity is unable to fully comply with the relevant legal and regulatory requirements when exiting the sandbox?

All applicants should be aware of the legal and regulatory requirements when applying for a regulatory sandbox, and will be responsible for committing to compliance of those requirements when applying for a regulatory sandbox.

In cases where sandbox entities foresee their inability to comply with these requirements, AMBD should be consulted early to determine a suitable course of action. Such cases will be treated on a case-by-case basis. 

11.            Will the information submitted to AMBD be treated with confidentiality?

Yes, all information submitted to AMBD will be treated with confidentiality. Once an application has been approved and the regulatory sandbox has begun its operations, some details will be entered onto the FinTech Regulatory Sandbox Register on the AMBD website.

This will only include the name of the sandbox entity, the product or service being offered, as well as the period of the regulatory sandbox. This is done in the interest of informing customers that the sandbox entity is operating in a regulatory sandbox.

Approved Sandbox Participants

NAME OF COMPANY	START OF SANDBOX PERIOD	DURATION OF SANDBOX PERIOD	CONTACT DETAILS
BruPay Sdn Bhd	20-Aug-18	1 year	Sophian Mat Suny Phone: +673 2231313 Email: biz@brupay.com
Chynge Sdn Bhd	20-Aug-18	15 months	Nazrin Mahdi Managing Director Phone: +673 8740019 Email: Nazrin@chynge.com
​BEEP Digital Solutions Sdn Bhd	20-May-19​	12 months​	​Jeffri Ahmad Said Chief Executive Officer Phone: +673 7193188 Email: jeffri@beep.solutions
​MMB Transfer Sdn Bhd	20-May-19​	​24 months	​Naysan Munusamy Country Director for Brunei Phone: Email: Naysan@moneymatch.co
​Plus Circle (B) Sdn Bhd	​20-May-19​	​12 months	​Visvanatahn Myl Chief Executive Officer Phone: Email: Visva@pluscircle.com.my