About the group
DirvenBank Group is two businesses with one regulator-facing boundary between them: a bank being built in Kenya, and a software company that sells compliance and settlement infrastructure to institutions that already hold a licence. Understanding which is which matters.
What the group is
DirvenBank Group operates two distinct businesses. DirvenBank Kenya is a bank being established in Kenya, currently in the licensing process with the Central Bank of Kenya. Dirven Software sells AML, compliance, exchange and settlement software to institutions that are already licensed in their own jurisdictions.
The distinction is not a marketing device. One entity will hold customer deposits under a banking licence. The other never touches customer funds and never needs a banking licence, because licensing software to a bank is not the same activity as being a bank.
The bank: Kenya, in licensing
DirvenBank Kenya is the group's first banking operation and its only deposit-taking business. It is built around how Kenya actually pays: M-Pesa Paybill and Till collection, PesaLink instant transfers, bulk payouts to staff and suppliers, and settlement in seconds rather than next-day cycles.
Current status: licensing in progress. Operations are subject to licensing by the Central Bank of Kenya, and the licence reference will be published on the Kenya site when it is issued. Accounts open once that licensing completes. Until then, the Kenya site describes intended services and does not invite deposits.
Customer deposits will be held with licensed partner institutions, not on DirvenBank Kenya's own balance sheet. Data is processed in line with the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019.
The software company
Dirven Software is the group's revenue business today. It supplies the compliance and settlement infrastructure that a licensed institution needs but rarely wants to build: KYC and AML workflows, exchange connectivity, treasury, reconciliation, settlement and an immutable audit trail.
It is sold as self-hosted software in 24 markets, each of which is described on its own page with the local payment rails, the supervisory bodies and the specific obligations that apply there. The software is deployed on the institution's own infrastructure, so data stays in-country by default.
Dirven Software is not a bank, holds no deposits, takes no client funds and provides no banking services anywhere. The licensed institution remains the regulated counterparty in every case.
Why the two are separate
The separation exists because mixing the two would create a misleading impression. A software company that describes itself as a bank invites the wrong kind of regulatory attention, and a bank that markets itself as a software vendor undermines confidence in its deposit-taking.
Keeping them distinct means Dirven Software can operate in 24 countries from day one without a banking licence in any of them, while DirvenBank Kenya takes the time the Kenyan licensing process requires. That is the entire reason for the structure.
Legal entities and structure
The group's operating and holding entities are:
- Dirven Market Maker LLC — Wyoming, USA. Wyoming SOS No. 2026-002057189. Holds the software licensing business.
- Dirven 6201 — Spain. European operating entity.
- DirvenBank Kenya — the Kenyan banking entity, in licensing with the Central Bank of Kenya.
Product lines including the DarkGrow shop, the seed bank and the growers' forum are operated by the software company, not by the bank.
How to reach us
For institutional enquiries about software licensing, use the contact page on the Dirven Software site. For questions about the Kenyan banking operation, use the contact page on the Kenya site. General correspondence can go to the address on our contact page.
We do not accept deposit enquiries or account applications until CBK licensing completes.
Questions
Is DirvenBank a licensed bank?
DirvenBank Kenya is in the licensing process with the Central Bank of Kenya. It is not yet licensed and does not accept deposits. The licence reference will be published when issued.
Does Dirven Software need a banking licence?
No. Supplying compliance and settlement software to a licensed institution is not deposit-taking. The institution holds the licence for the regulated activity; Dirven Software supplies the tooling.
Where does the group operate?
Dirven Software licenses to institutions in 24 markets. DirvenBank Kenya is the group's only banking operation and serves Kenya only.
Who holds customer money?
No DirvenBank group entity holds customer deposits today. When the Kenyan bank is licensed, deposits will be held with licensed partner institutions rather than on the bank's balance sheet.