Tunisia's New Law Puts an End to Antidated Checks and Promotes Alternative Payment Methods
The Law No. 41-2024, which came into effect on February 2, 2025, has profoundly reformed the use of checks in Tunisia. It has put an end to the practice of paying with antidated checks, a common but risky practice for SMEs and consumers. According to banking expert Ahmed El Karm, this reform aims to rationalize the use of checks, which are becoming obsolete in modern economies, and to encourage the adoption of alternative payment methods that are safer, less costly, and more practical, such as bank cards, mobile payments, and e-commerce.
El Karm emphasizes the importance of developing alternative payment instruments, citing payment cards, which still represent a small proportion of transactions in Tunisia, and mobile payments, which are struggling to develop despite their success in other regions of the world. He also advocates for modernizing online payments, improving consumer and merchant confidence in electronic transactions. Additionally, he highlights the need to simplify bank transfers, which are currently slow and hinder the efficiency of payments.
To support the transition to these new payment methods, El Karm recommends accompanying measures such as developing operating credits for businesses and consumer credits for individuals. He stresses the importance of activating credit information companies and making regulatory adjustments to facilitate this transition and support the digitalization of the Tunisian economy. Although these reforms may be costly in the short term, they are seen as an opportunity to modernize the national payment system and reduce the dominance of cash and checks in the economy.
