The Bank of Zambia has launched a Standardised Mobile Money Agent Training Manual aimed at strengthening professionalism, improving customer protection and enhancing trust in Zambia’s rapidly growing digital financial sector. Speaking during the launch on Thursday, Dr Denny Kalyalya said mobile money agents had become central to the country’s financial ecosystem and needed proper training to meet growing demands in the digital economy. Dr Kalyalya said the new manual would establish uniform standards of conduct, operations and service delivery among mobile money agents across the country. “Today is not just about launching a document, it is about strengthening the foundation of trust in Zambia’s digital economy,” he said. He noted that mobile money agents now outnumber traditional banking access points such as ATMs and Point of Sale (POS) devices, making them key players in expanding financial services to rural and underserved communities. Dr Kalyalya said agents were responsible for converting cash into digital value, supporting first-time users and enabling small businesses to transact efficiently. He added that the manual would help transform agents from simple transaction processors into trusted advisors and frontline ambassadors for digital finance. The BOZ Governor further stressed the importance of cybersecurity and fraud prevention as digital financial services continue to expand. He said agents would play a critical role in verifying customer identities, educating users on safe digital practices and detecting suspicious transactions. Dr Kalyalya revealed that Zambia had recorded significant growth in mobile money usage, with transaction values increasing more than sevenfold between 2020 and 2025, while active mobile money wallets had nearly doubled to 17 million. He also noted that financial inclusion in the country had risen to over 80 percent due to reforms aimed at promoting digital financial services. Among the reforms highlighted were simplified Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, increased e-money transaction limits, interoperability through the National Financial Switch and the planned phase-out of cheques by June 2026. Dr Kalyalya urged Payment Service Providers to fully integrate the training manual into agent onboarding and monitoring systems, saying professionalising the mobile money sector was essential for protecting consumers and accelerating digital adoption. “If we strengthen the agent network, we strengthen Zambia’s digital economy,” he said.