Central Bank of Tunisia Reveals Check Payment Trends for First Nine Months of 2024
The Central Bank of Tunisia has recently released its payment bulletin for the first nine months of 2024, shedding light on the trends of check usage in Tunisia.
Key Statistics
- A total of 18.52 million checks were issued during this period, representing a total value of 95.62 billion dinars.
- Although the number of checks issued decreased by 1% compared to the previous year, the value of checks recorded a significant increase of 6.5%.
Checks Remain a Popular Payment Method
Checks continue to occupy an important place among payment methods in Tunisia, accounting for 37% of transactions, behind wire transfers which total 51%. In terms of value, checks represent 53% of payments made in the country.
Concerns Over Check Rejections
However, a concerning trend emerges from this report: over 272,000 checks were rejected, representing approximately 1.47% of issued checks, with a value of 2.32 billion dinars, accounting for 2.43% of total check payments. This situation raises concerns about access to credit and the management of checks without provision, a topic on which Tunisian authorities have recently focused.
New Legislation to Rein in Check Abuse
It is worth noting that on July 30, 2024, the Assembly of the People's Representatives (ARP) adopted a law aimed at strengthening regulations concerning checks without provision. These amendments were published in the Official Journal on August 2, 2024, with the goal of combating the excessive issuance of uncovered checks and securing banking transactions in the country.
