SIBTEL

SIBTEL (Société Interbancaire de Télécompensation) manages Tunisia's interbank clearing system. It was established on 1 November 1999, after the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) introduced electronic interbank clearing as part of modernising the banking system. The system exchanges payment instruments electronically at fixed intervals; a central centre calculates clearing balances and net positions for each participant, which are then settled. SIBTEL processes credit transfers, direct debits, cheques and bills of exchange in batches, while large-value payments settle in real time on the BCT's RTGS system. In the first half of 2026, SIBTEL handled 30.1 million operations worth about 109.6 billion dinars, according to the BCT's Payments Bulletin No. 17. Participation was historically limited to banking institutions registered with the BCT clearing house. In May 2024 the BCT admitted two payment institutions, Zitouna Pay and Payvago, as participants, allowing non-banks to clear transactions with banks directly. SIBTEL is not a retail payment brand, but its access rules shape what Tunisian fintechs can build, notably the absence so far of a national instant account-to-account payment scheme.