Title Pawn Association of Botswana

About the Association

Why TPAB exists

Across Botswana, thousands of working people — small business owners, contractors, transport operators, families — rely on vehicles they own for their daily income. Title pawn lending allows them to raise finance against that vehicle quickly and lawfully, including the many clients that conventional banks do not serve.

As the industry has grown, so has the need for consistent professional standards. The Title Pawn Association of Botswana was formed in 2026 by the country's leading title pawn operators to provide exactly that: one professional body that sets standards for its members, protects clients, and gives the regulator a single, accountable counterpart — a request the industry's regulator itself has made.

The Association covers both forms of title pawn practised in Botswana: Pawn & Drive, where the client keeps using the vehicle while the loan runs, and Pawn & Park, where the vehicle is held by the lender. The Association supports both — the choice belongs to the client.

TPAB is deliberately focused. It exists to professionalise and represent title pawn lending — not to debate whether the product should exist. Membership is open to operators licensed or exempted by NBFIRA who commit to the Association's code.

Standards

The Code of Ethics

Adherence to the Code of Ethics is a condition of membership. It builds on the self-regulation code member companies adopted voluntarily in early 2026, ahead of any legal requirement, and covers the full life of a loan — not only the rare cases that end in default. Its commitments fall under three pillars:

1 · Professional & ethical conduct

Integrity and lawfulness

Members conduct business honestly, hold the required NBFIRA licence or exemption, and comply with all applicable laws, regulatory directives and this Code at all times.

Responsible lending

Loans are granted against realistic valuations and terms the client can reasonably sustain. Members discourage reckless borrowing — lending is a service to the client, never a route to their asset.

Honest advertising

Marketing states costs and terms truthfully. No member advertises misleading rates, hidden charges or outcomes it cannot deliver.

Trained, accountable staff

Members train their staff in the Code and remain responsible for their conduct, including agents acting on the member's behalf.

2 · Client care & transparency

Full disclosure before signing

Every client receives the loan terms, all charges and the consequences of default in plain language before any agreement is concluded.

Clear statements of account

Clients are entitled to a statement of their account — payments made, charges applied, balance owing — so they always know where they stand.

Confidentiality

Client information is used only for the purposes of the loan and protected from disclosure, in line with the laws of Botswana.

Fair settlement and refinance

Clients may settle early or refinance, including with another lender, without obstruction — and early settlement is honoured in line with NBFIRA’s directives.

Complaints taken seriously

Every member operates a written complaints procedure aligned with NBFIRA’s published guidelines — see how complaints are handled.

Respect and dignity

Clients are treated with courtesy and respect in every interaction — including clients in financial difficulty.

3 · Default, recovery & disposal

Engagement before enforcement

No recovery action begins without the client first being notified and given the opportunity to settle or agree a repayment plan.

A protected redemption window

A repossessed vehicle is held for at least 14 days before any disposal, during which the client can still redeem it.

Transparent public disposal

Disposal is by advertised public auction conducted by a licensed auctioneer, open to the client and the public, and any surplus above the amount owed is returned to the client.

Membership

Founding members

The Association was founded by two of Botswana's largest and longest-standing title pawn operators, which together serve clients across the country.

Founding member

Pawn IT (Pty) Ltd

The pioneer of Pawn & Drive in Botswana, introducing the product in 2017 and operating it successfully ever since. Today one of the country's largest Pawn & Drive operators, with a branch network spread countrywide, offering Pawn & Drive, Pawn & Park and redemptions.

Founding member

Lanny Capital (Pty) Ltd t/a Pawn Express

One of the largest pawn operators in Botswana, with a nationwide branch network and around 50 employees, offering Pawn & Drive, Pawn & Park and redemptions.

Membership of the Association is open to pawn operators licensed or exempted by NBFIRA in Botswana whose practices align with the Association's vision, and who adopt the Code of Ethics and submit to its standards. Clients are encouraged to deal only with operators on NBFIRA's register — every licensed and exempted entity appears on NBFIRA’s public list of regulated entities. Operators interested in joining are invited to contact the Association.

Governance

How the Association is structured

A registered society

TPAB is registered under the laws of Botswana as a society (registration SOC03174290726BW, 29 July 2026), with a written constitution governing membership, meetings and accountability.

Member-governed

The Association is governed by its members through a management committee, chaired by Paul van Zyl (Managing Director, Pawn IT), with Kim Dustin Lanny (Director, Pawn Express), Kempho Santsoma (General Manager, Pawn IT) and Zola Mooka (Senior Manager, Pawn Express). Office bearers are to be confirmed by election at the first Annual General Meeting.

Standards with teeth

The Code of Ethics is a condition of membership. Members hold one another to it — the Association's credibility with clients and the regulator depends on it.

Working with the regulator

Engagement with NBFIRA

The Association is in active, structured engagement with the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA), the regulator of Botswana's pawn industry, in support of a shared goal: improving the integrity of the industry.

TPAB's position is firmly pro-regulation. Clear rules protect clients, restore the industry's reputation, expose operators who take advantage, and protect the ethical businesses that follow them — the same three-way balance that banking regulation achieves for banks and their customers.

Through this engagement the Association contributes practical, on-the-ground knowledge to the design of workable rules on disclosure, valuation, repossession, disposal by public auction and recovery costs. The Code of Ethics is deliberately built around what the regulator has said it wants to see: operators on its register, fair and transparent treatment of clients, responsible lending, compliance with directives, and complaints handled through the proper channels.

2017

Pawn & Drive arrives in Botswana

Pawn IT introduces the product — the client keeps and drives the vehicle while the loan runs — and the market begins its shift away from Pawn & Park.

December 2025

Industry consultative meeting

NBFIRA convenes the pawn industry and calls for a single industry voice.

Q1 2026

Self-regulation code goes live

Founding members adopt the code of conduct voluntarily, ahead of legislation.

29 July 2026

Association registered

TPAB is formally registered as a society under the laws of Botswana.

1 September 2026

Consultative meeting with NBFIRA

The Association meets NBFIRA's Department of Lending Activities as the industry's representative body, with a written agenda and figures.

September 2026

Written proposals submitted

The Association submits working proposals to NBFIRA on change of ownership and on consumer education, for discussion.

Consumer education

Know Before You Borrow

A title pawn loan is a serious commitment secured on your vehicle. The Association publishes this guide so that anyone considering one understands the product, the cost, and their rights before they sign — whether or not they borrow from a member. Every client of a member company receives this information in writing at signing, in English and Setswana.

1 · How a title pawn actually works

What you pledge, and what you keep

You borrow against your vehicle. Under Pawn & Drive you keep the vehicle and carry on driving it while the loan runs; under Pawn & Park it is held by the pawnshop. In both cases the vehicle is security for the loan and can be sold if the loan is not repaid.

What it costs, and for how long

Before you sign, a member must give you in writing the amount advanced, every charge, the total you will repay and the date it falls due. If you cannot see the total cost in writing, do not sign.

What happens if you cannot pay

You must be given written notice of default, time to settle or agree a plan, and — if the vehicle is recovered — a further period to redeem it before any sale. Sale is by advertised public auction, and any money left over after the debt and disclosed costs belongs to you.

2 · Borrow responsibly

Borrow only what your income can carry

Look at the repayment against what you actually earn each month, not against what the vehicle is worth. A loan you cannot service is not help.

Understand the total, not the monthly figure

Ask for the total cost of the loan over its full term. Compare that number, not the instalment.

Never borrow to repay another loan

Using a title pawn to service other debt moves the problem onto your vehicle. If you are already struggling, speak to your existing lender first.

3 · Know your rights

Written terms before you sign

All terms and all charges in writing, in plain language, before any agreement is concluded. Never sign a blank or incomplete document.

A statement of your account

You are entitled to know what you have paid, what has been charged and what you still owe, at any time.

Notice, time, and a public sale

Notice before repossession. Time to settle. Sale only by public auction, which you may attend. The surplus after the sale is yours.

The right to complain

To the company first, then to the Association, then to NBFIRA. The route is set out under How complaints are handled, and a member must give it to you on request.

4 · Check before you borrow

Check the operator is on NBFIRA's register

Every pawnshop lawfully operating in Botswana is either licensed or exempted by NBFIRA and appears on NBFIRA's public list of regulated entities. If a business is not on the list, do not deal with it.

Ask whether they follow the Association's Code

Members of the Association are bound by the Code of Ethics and display the membership mark. The mark says only that the operator is bound by the Code — it is not an endorsement by NBFIRA.

Be careful what you believe

Information about your loan should come from your written agreement, your lender, the Association or NBFIRA — not from social media. If you are told your agreement is unlawful or that you have been overcharged, check it against your documents and, if in doubt, ask NBFIRA directly.

Accountability

How complaints are handled

The Association has adopted the complaints route published by NBFIRA, so that every client of a member company knows exactly where to turn. A complaint follows three steps:

Step 1 — The member company

Put the complaint in writing to the company’s complaints contact, stating the issue and the outcome sought. In line with NBFIRA’s guidelines, the complaint is acknowledged within 10 working days and answered in writing within the company’s stated timeline.

Step 2 — Escalation

If the answer does not resolve the matter, the client may escalate to the company’s Principal Officer — and may also copy the Association, which monitors members’ handling of complaints under the Code of Ethics.

Step 3 — The regulator

A client who remains unsatisfied — or whose complaint is not acknowledged within 10 working days — may lodge it with NBFIRA through its online complaint form, by email to info@nbfira.org.bw or by phone on +267 368 6100, with proof of the earlier complaint. NBFIRA’s decisions may in turn be appealed to the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Tribunal.

The full procedure is published on NBFIRA’s complaints page. Members must give this information to any client who wishes to complain — hiding the route to the regulator is itself a breach of the Code.

Registered name	Title Pawn Association of Botswana
Registration number	SOC03174290726BW
Date of registration	29 July 2026
Status	Registered society, certificate valid to 1 October 2027