Tunisia Sees Growth in Bank Cards, but Digital Payments Remain Underutilized
The number of bank cards in circulation in Tunisia has resumed its growth trajectory, reaching 5.843 million by the end of September 2025, although it still lags behind the 7.053 million recorded at the end of 2023. The country's payment infrastructure includes 3,290 ATMs and 42,800 electronic payment terminals.
Monetic Activity on the Rise
The monetic activity through cards has increased, with 122.7 million operations (compared to 112.9 million in September 2024) totaling 21,983.7 million TND (19,708.4 million TND in September 2024). The average transaction size has risen to 179.2 TND (174.6 TND at the end of September 2024 and 169.848 TND at the end of September 2023).
Cash Withdrawals Dominate Card Usage
Cards are still primarily used for cash withdrawals from ATMs rather than digital payments. In fact, 60% of monetic operations and 75% of their value are cash withdrawals. On average, a card payment, whether online or in-person, amounts to 112 TND, compared to 108.5 TND the previous year.
Payment Averages
The average in-person payment is 127.4 TND, higher than the 125.7 TND in September 2024 but lower than the 130.1 TND in September 2023. The average e-payment is 70.3 TND, up from 64 TND at the same time in 2024. While there is increased usage, it is still for small values. In contrast, the average cash withdrawal is 224 TND at the end of the first nine months of the year, compared to 213 TND the previous year, indicating a more intensive use of cash.
Mobile Payments
The 16 authorized mobile payment service providers have 467,000 wallets, which have enabled nearly 6.3 million transactions worth 1,345.7 million TND, with an average payment of 213.6 TND. These electronic wallets are used for cash withdrawals in only 13.1% of operations and are primarily used for payments.
Room for Improvement
There is still significant room for improvement in the use of electronic payment methods. This is not solely related to the number of merchant sites, but rather to fiscal regulation. We reiterate our opinion that only a broad tax amnesty, which allows for a reset of accounts, will give a true boost to the digitalization of Tunisians' financial practices.
