To keep the payment system safe and compliant, certain businesses and activities may not use BongoPay. This policy lists the main prohibited and restricted categories and how we enforce them.
BongoPay may only be used for lawful business. The categories below are prohibited or restricted, in line with Tanzanian law, anti-money-laundering obligations, Bank of Tanzania payment-system expectations, and the acceptable-use rules of our payment partners. This list is not exhaustive — we may decline or remove any business that presents legal, reputational, or fraud risk, and we may update this policy at any time.
Narcotics, illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and unauthorised controlled substances.
Firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other regulated weapons offered without lawful authorisation.
Scams, phishing, Ponzi and pyramid schemes, "money-flipping", fake investment and get-rich-quick programmes.
Unlicensed forex, lending, money remittance, deposit-taking, or cryptocurrency exchange operated without the required licence.
Gaming, betting, or lotteries operated without a valid Gaming Board of Tanzania licence.
Child sexual abuse material, human trafficking, prostitution, and any non-consensual or illegal sexual content.
Fake or counterfeit goods, pirated media, cracked software, and other intellectual-property violations.
Forged identity documents, diplomas, certificates, or any service that creates fraudulent records.
Sale or trade of stolen, misappropriated, or illegally obtained goods or data.
Malware, hacking-for-hire, account-takeover tools, and the sale of personal data obtained unlawfully.
Any transaction that finances terrorism, launders proceeds of crime, or involves sanctioned parties.
Ivory, endangered species, and other trade prohibited under wildlife-protection law.
Some activities are allowed only with the correct licence and prior approval. These include pharmaceuticals and prescription medicines, alcohol and tobacco, regulated financial products, and multi-level marketing. We may request evidence of licensing before enabling these businesses and may apply additional monitoring.
We screen businesses during onboarding and monitor activity on an ongoing basis. Where we identify prohibited or high-risk use, we may — without prior notice where necessary — suspend the account, freeze or place a hold on the balance, reverse affected transactions, decline withdrawals, terminate the account, and report the matter to the Financial Intelligence Unit or other competent authorities. See our Terms for the full risk-management provisions.
If you believe a BongoPay account is being used for a prohibited activity, report it to support@bongopay.net. We investigate every credible report.