Also known as: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Circular 1133 · BSP Collection Conduct Circular · BSFI Collection Rules
By Landon Little, Founder of Zentarai Labs · Updated May 12, 2026
TL;DR
BSP Circular 1133 sets the conduct rules for how Philippine banks, lenders, credit card issuers, BNPL operators, and their collection agents can contact borrowers about overdue accounts. No threats, no third-party contact, no calls before 6am or after 10pm, no excessive frequency, mandatory identification, and full interaction logging. Applies to AI voice agents identically.
BSP Circular 1133 is an issuance from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that codifies conduct standards for BSP-Supervised Financial Institutions when contacting borrowers about overdue or delinquent accounts. It is the operational backbone of consumer protection in the Philippine credit market.
What BSP Circular 1133 prohibits
Abusive language — threats, profanity, intimidation, harassment.
Third-party contact — calling the borrower's employer, family, references, or social network about the debt.
Unreasonable hours — typically calls before 6am or after 10pm Philippine time.
Excessive contact — repeated calls in a short window, multiple channels simultaneously, retry loops after no-contact.
Misrepresentation — false claims of legal consequence, identity of caller, amounts owed, or authority.
Public shaming — social media posts, public lists, employer notification.
What BSP Circular 1133 requires
Clear identification at the start of every interaction — the BSFI's name, the caller's role, the reason for the contact.
Honest disclosure — actual outstanding balance, applicable charges, calculation basis.
Channel preference — honor borrower's request to communicate via a specific channel (e.g. SMS only).
Contact logs — every attempt (time, channel, content, outcome) must be documented and retained per BSP retention rules.
Accessible complaints — borrower can file complaints directly with BSP Consumer Assistance.
How BSP Circular 1133 applies to AI voice agents
The rules apply identically to AI voice and SMS agents. The BSFI is responsible for ensuring its AI agent complies. In practice, this means:
Time-window enforcement — calls only fire between 6am and 10pm Philippine time, with respect for borrower-specified preferences.
Identification script at start — the agent identifies the BSFI and itself as automated.
Opt-out detection — if the borrower says "stop calling", "don't contact me", or equivalent, the agent ends the call and the system marks the account opt-out.
Channel honoring — if the borrower says "SMS only", the system disables voice contact.
Transcript + outcome logs — every interaction is recorded with full transcript, timestamp, and resolution, retained for BSP audit.
No third-party contact — the agent does not call references, employer, or anyone not on the borrower's verified contact list.
How Nova for Finance is built around BSP Circular 1133
Nova for Finance is engineered around BSP Circular 1133 from the call-flow design level — not patched on top. Time-window enforcement, identification scripts, opt-out detection, channel honoring, and audit logs are not configurable add-ons; they are the baseline. Voice agents identify themselves as automated when asked. All interactions are auditable from the lender's dashboard.
This is the operational reason Nova for Finance works for Philippine BNPL portfolios where average ticket is ₱500 and traditional agent collection is net-negative: AI agents handle volume at ~₱8-15 per account contacted while staying inside BSP Circular 1133's conduct envelope.