Mobile Payments in Tunisia: The Wallet Landscape in 2026

Mobile payments in Tunisia have moved from pilot projects to a crowded market of bank apps, postal wallets, fintechs and, since 2026, telecom operators. Central bank figures show strong growth, but from a low base: mobile wallets are still a fraction of the country's card and cheque volumes. Here is who issues wallets, what the numbers say and what is changing.

Mobile payments in Tunisia by the numbers

The Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT) publishes payment statistics in a regular bulletin. The most recent figures, for the first half of 2026 (Bulletin No. 17, as reported by Challenges TN), show:

• 512,000 active wallets, up 16.4%;
• 5.0 million mobile transactions, up 31.5%;
• 914.2 million dinars in mobile flows, up 17.7%;
• 18 licensed payment service providers (PSPs).

For the full year 2025, BCT data showed mobile transactions up 81% to 8.4 million, worth about 1.769 billion dinars. A year earlier, the BCT counted 313,000 active wallets at the end of September 2024.

These are large growth rates, but the scale is modest. In the same half-year, Tunisian cardholders made 85.4 million card operations, and the interbank clearing system processed 3.6 million cheques. Mobile payments are the fastest-growing channel, not yet the main one. For broader context, see our key numbers on Tunisian fintech.

How Tunisians use their wallets

Usage has shifted towards paying merchants. In the first half of 2026, payments made up 62% of mobile operations, transfers 16.5%, cash-in 12.8% and cash-out 8.7%. Earlier BCT releases showed person-to-person transfers dominating, so the mix moves from one report to the next and should be read with care.

The shift matters. Wallets that are only used to move money between people tend to be emptied straight back into cash. Merchant payments keep money in the digital system longer, which is the point of the BCT's "decashing" policy.

Who issues mobile wallets

Tunisia does not have a single dominant mobile money operator like M-Pesa in Kenya. Instead, several kinds of institutions issue wallets:

• Banks. In June 2022 the BCT launched what it called the country's first mobile payment solution, with seven banks: BNA, BH Bank, Amen Bank, UBCI, Attijari Bank, Zitouna and BTE. Wallets could be funded from a bank account, a card or another wallet.
• La Poste Tunisienne. The postal operator offers e-Dinar products and the D17 app. See our guide to e-Dinar and D17.
• Payment institutions. Viamobile was the first payment institution licensed by the BCT, in April 2021. In March 2026, OFT Tunisie, an Ooredoo subsidiary, received its final licence as a payment institution after provisional approval in December 2024.
• Fintechs working with banks. Flouci, built by the startup Kaoun, combines a wallet with a partner-bank account. Its wallet is also integrated into Orange Tunisie's Max It app under a partnership announced in April 2025.
• Telecom operators. Tunisie Telecom launched its Kashy wallet in March 2026, developed with Viamobile and rolled out through about 30 of its shops.

The technical backbone for interbank mobile payments is run by the Société Monétique Tunisie (SMT), the national card switch, which in 2019 chose the Moroccan vendor HPS to build an interoperable mobile payment platform.

The TUNPAY label

On 5 May 2026, the BCT announced TUNPAY, a national label for mobile payment designed with the SMT. Banks, La Poste and payment institutions that issue wallets are asked to display it in their apps and at acceptance points: shops, branches and agents.

TUNPAY is a branding and trust measure. It gives consumers one sign to look for at the till, much as the "CB" logo did for cards in France. It does not by itself set fees, and commentators have noted that commissions remain governed by contracts between banks, merchants and networks. Whether it leads to deeper technical interoperability depends on how SMT access is organised for independent fintechs. We cover that question in our piece on instant payments and interoperability.

Why it matters for founders

For startups, the licensing picture is the key constraint. Issuing a wallet in your own name requires a payment institution licence or a bank partner. Many Tunisian fintechs operate as payment facilitators, a role framed by BCT guidelines published in January 2024 that require a partnership with a licensed institution. Our explainer on payment institutions in Tunisia covers the routes in more detail.

Three trends are worth watching:

1. New entrants with distribution. Telecom-linked players (Ooredoo's OFT, Tunisie Telecom's Kashy) bring shop networks that fintechs lack.
2. State nudges. The BCT required 2026–2027 school registration fees to be paid only through digital channels, including wallets. Mandates like this push first-time users onto wallets.
3. Merchant acceptance. Large retailers such as Monoprix started accepting QR payments via Flouci in March 2025. More merchants will matter more than more apps.

What to watch next

The numbers are moving in the right direction, but mobile payments remain a niche next to cash, cards and cheques. The next BCT bulletins will show whether TUNPAY and the new telecom-backed wallets turn rapid growth into everyday habit. Figures in this article are as of mid-2026 and may change with later releases.