Tunisia Sees Surge in Bill of Exchange Use, Decline in Cheques

Tunisia's financial landscape experienced a notable shift in payment methods during the first quarter of 2026, with operations conducted via bills of exchange showing a substantial surge. According to a bulletin from the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT), these transactions increased by 35.9%, reaching 1.2 million operations valued at 13,913.6 million Tunisian Dinars (MD), a rise of 23.5% compared to the same period in 2025.

In contrast, the use of cheques saw a marked decline. The number of cheque operations fell by 24.9% to 1.7 million, with a total value of 11,510.8 MD, down 28%. The rejection rates for both bills of exchange and cheques stood at 9.6% and 1% respectively in terms of number, and 9.5% and 2.3% in terms of value by the end of March 2026.

Direct debit transactions, however, experienced growth, increasing by 26.4% to 2.2 million operations, amounting to 8,411.6 MD, a 7.3% increase. Conversely, the rejection rate for direct debits was high at 51.2% by number and 7% by value. Wire transfers saw a modest increase of 2.3% in number, totaling 9.6 million operations valued at nearly 19,580.2 MD, with a very low rejection rate of 0.1%.

Card payments also demonstrated robust performance, with approximately 41 million operations conducted by the end of March 2026, representing an 11.7% increase in transaction numbers and a 12.5% rise in value compared to early 2025. These payments were primarily used for cash withdrawals (59%) and purchases (41%). Mobile payment transactions surged by 67.1% to 2.7 million, valued at 487.6 MD, while e-payments grew by 28.4% in number and 34.8% in value. The BCT also noted an increase in the number of active merchant websites and point-of-sale terminals.