Payment and fintech businesses
Payment arrangements, merchant and partner contracts, settlement terms, onboarding policies and regulatory readiness.
Our experience
Regulatory depth. Commercial execution.
S.N. Nyaga & Company Advocates brings practical legal and regulatory experience to business, investment and individual client matters. We connect the legal position with the documents, controls and decisions needed to move an engagement forward.
KenyanLegal and regulatory counsel
AfricaCross-border advice and coordination
RegulatedFintech, payments, capital markets and data
OperationalAdvice built for implementation
Our clientele
Businesses, investors and individuals.
Our clientele includes the following groups, with support tailored to the transaction, regulatory position and practical decision in hand.
Companies, founders and investors
Corporate structuring, investment documents, shareholder arrangements, governance and continuing commercial advice.
Property and business purchasers
Transaction due diligence, asset acquisitions, property purchases, commercial leases and completion documentation.
Employers and international professionals
Kenyan work-permit and immigration matters, establishment planning and coordination of dependant applications.
Areas of experience
From regulatory questions to commercial decisions.
01Payments · Fintech · Market entry
PSP and fintech licensing mandates
- Scope
- Supporting payment, merchant-acquiring and technology-led financial businesses assessing or pursuing entry into Kenya.
- Our contribution
- Business-model and funds-flow analysis; regulatory-perimeter advice; incorporation and governance planning; application checklists; business-plan and policy review; regulator-engagement support; and review of bank, technology and processing arrangements.
- Practical value
- A coordinated application workstream in which the proposed legal structure, operating model, controls and evidence tell one consistent story.
02Capital markets · Online forex
Online forex and investment-sector compliance
- Scope
- Advising online foreign-exchange and investment-sector businesses on licensing readiness and continuing regulatory obligations.
- Our contribution
- Licence-document review; capital and governance requirements; fit-and-proper materials; compliance monitoring; board and committee reporting; complaints and conduct controls; regulatory returns; and responses to supervisory or enforcement questions.
- Practical value
- Regulatory requirements translated into accountable operating actions, evidence and reporting rather than left as abstract policy.
03AML/CFT · KYC · Financial crime
AML/CFT and KYC framework development
- Scope
- Building and reviewing risk-based financial-crime controls for fintechs, licensed institutions, payment providers and merchant-facing businesses.
- Our contribution
- Enterprise and customer-risk assessments; AML/CFT programmes; CDD, EDD, PEP and sanctions procedures; beneficial-ownership controls; onboarding decision trees; transaction-monitoring escalation; suspicious-activity reporting workflows; training and compliance testing.
- Practical value
- Controls designed around the actual customer, merchant and transaction journey, with clear ownership and defensible escalation points.
04Privacy · Technology · Investigations
Data-protection registration and remediation
- Scope
- Assisting organisations to establish privacy governance and respond when processing, marketing, vendor or incident risks become operational.
- Our contribution
- Controller and processor assessments; ODPC registration support; privacy notices and internal policies; DPIA screening; processor and data-sharing agreements; cross-border transfer review; complaint and enforcement-response support; and remediation planning.
- Practical value
- A documented privacy position connecting legal bases, notices, systems, vendors, retention and practical corrective action.
05Africa · Cross-border coordination
Cross-border regulatory coordination
- Scope
- Supporting businesses expanding across selected East, West and Southern African markets while maintaining one view of the regional model.
- Our contribution
- Market-entry route maps; local entity and licensing analysis; coordination of jurisdiction-specific counsel; group contracting and governance; partner due diligence; data-flow questions; and consolidation of country advice into management decisions.
- Practical value
- Country-specific requirements managed within a coherent regional structure, with unresolved assumptions and dependencies made visible early.
06Corporate · Commercial · Transactions
Structuring, contracts and shareholder arrangements
- Scope
- Supporting founders, investors and operating companies through formation, investment, commercial relationships, acquisitions and restructuring.
- Our contribution
- Incorporation and governance; shareholders’ agreements; board and shareholder resolutions; due diligence; asset and lease reviews; service, merchant, technology, outsourcing and confidentiality agreements; employment documentation; and negotiated risk allocation.
- Practical value
- Documents shaped around how the relationship will work in practice, including authority, payment, performance, data, liability, exit and dispute scenarios.
07Property · Business acquisitions · Leasing
Property and business transaction support
- Scope
- Advising purchasers, investors and operating businesses on property purchases, business assets and commercial premises.
- Our contribution
- Transaction due diligence; sale and asset-transfer documentation; commercial lease and offer review; payment and escrow arrangements; negotiation support; and coordination of completion requirements.
- Practical value
- A clear view of the assets, obligations, consents, payment steps and outstanding conditions before the client commits or completes.
08Business immigration · Establishment
Work permits and immigration support
- Scope
- Supporting employers, investors and international professionals with Kenyan work-permit and immigration matters connected to their business or employment.
- Our contribution
- Assessment of the proposed activity and application route; document preparation and review; employer and corporate supporting records; application coordination; status questions; and dependant-application support.
- Practical value
- Immigration steps coordinated with the underlying company, investment or employment arrangements, with documentary gaps and deadlines identified early.
Illustrative work products
What the work looks like
These examples show how an instruction can become a practical decision tool. They are illustrative scenarios; the deliverables and scope are agreed for each engagement.
01 / Illustrative scenario
A payment contract that explains where the money goes
When can the provider delay settlement, build a reserve or retain funds after termination?
- Work product
- A marked-up agreement and negotiation brief connect settlement dates, reserve triggers, evidence for deductions, liability allocation and release of retained funds. Each issue has a proposed position and a commercial fallback.
- Practical value
- The client can compare cash-flow exposure against the service being purchased and take a clear position into negotiation.
The review represents one contracting party; the final position depends on the agreed mandate and applicable law.
Explore this service02 / Illustrative scenario
An onboarding pack that matches the actual business
What will a payment provider need to understand and assess this forex, gaming or e-commerce merchant?
- Work product
- A request-to-evidence checklist links the provider's requirements to ownership records, business and funds-flow explanations, and relevant onboarding, AML, privacy, refunds and complaints policies. Each document has an owner and a completion status.
- Practical value
- The business can identify missing evidence, give consistent answers and prepare an orderly submission.
Requirements depend on the business, jurisdiction and provider; the provider retains its own acceptance decision.
Explore this service03 / Illustrative scenario
A signed contract with an owner and a next action
Who will act before a contract renews, a notice window closes or a reporting duty falls due?
- Work product
- A contract register captures the counterparty, signed version, renewal date, notice deadline, key obligations, responsible owner and next action. A supporting calendar and escalation checklist turn selected clauses into reviewable tasks.
- Practical value
- Management can see upcoming decisions and assign responsibility without reopening every agreement.
Dates and obligations are checked against the signed documents; continuing monitoring needs an agreed owner and update process.
Explore this serviceEngagement pathway
A clear route from question to implementation.
Define
Clarify the product, transaction, intended outcome and decision that requires support.
Diagnose
Map the legal perimeter, evidence, dependencies, risk allocation and unresolved questions.
Deliver
Prepare the advice, application, agreement, governance material or compliance controls required.
Operationalise
Support implementation, regulator or counterparty engagement, and continuing review where agreed.
Client confidentiality.
Client identities and confidential details are omitted. These descriptions summarise areas of experience and support; each engagement has its own agreed scope and deliverables.
info@snnyagaadvocates.co.ke+254 728 852 448WhatsApp the firm ↗Westpark Towers, 11th Floor, Mpesi Lane, Westlands, Nairobi