25 June 2026, Baku: The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan is improving the regulatory framework to reduce risks in remote financial services and strengthen consumer protection. In this context, the Management Board of the Central Bank approved amendments to the Regulations for Credit Risk Management in Banks and Regulations for Credit Risk Management in Non-Bank Credit Institutions in its Resolution No. 18/11 dated April 28, 2026.

According to the amendments, customers now have the option to voluntarily restrict the conclusion of distance consumer credit agreements and the increase of credit limits. Thus, citizens will be able to ban all credit institutions from issuing remote loans in their name by submitting a request to the Azerbaijan Credit Bureau (Findoc.az). Additionally, citizens can apply restrictions to a specific institution by contacting that institution directly. Credit institutions must check for this restriction before issuing remote loans and may only grant loans if no restrictions are in place.

Another important change to the regulations is the introduction of a waiting period for disbursing funds under consumer credit agreements made remotely. If the loan amount is up to twice the minimum wage, the funds will be deposited into the account in 2 hours. If this limit is exceeded, the funds will be deposited in 24 hours.

The main goal of these amendments is to protect customers' interests and safety during remote lending and to strengthen mechanisms for managing credit risks more responsibly.

The amendments will take effect on October 1, 2026.

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