Fintech & payments regulation in Algeria (2026)

Legal framework

Bank of Algeria (Banque d'Algérie) under Monetary & Banking Law No. 23-09 (21 June 2023), with Règlement n° 25-02 (14 April 2025) and Instruction n° 06-2025 (17 August 2025) for Payment Service Providers, and Règlement n° 24-04 (13 October 2024) for digital banks

Key points: digital payments & fintech in Algeria

1. 01Enabling primary law

   Law No. 23-09 of 21 June 2023 (Monetary and Banking Law) overhauled the sector and introduced new licensable actors, payment service providers, digital banks, investment banks, and provisions enabling further digitalization, replacing the prior 2003 ordinance.

   bank-of-algeria.dz mf.gov.dz

2. 02PSP licensing regime

   Règlement n° 25-02 of 14 April 2025 sets the conditions for constituting, authorizing and operating Payment Service Providers; PSPs must be Algerian-incorporated companies authorized by the Governor of the Bank of Algeria.

   bank-of-algeria.dz elwatan.dz

3. 03PSP operating rules & capital

   Instruction n° 06-2025 of 17 August 2025 (36 articles) is the first dedicated PSP operating framework: minimum capital of 160 million DZD fully paid in cash, mandatory segregation/ring-fencing of client funds in escrow, agent networks, tiered digital wallets and strong customer authentication.

   bank-of-algeria.dz elwatan.dz

4. 04Digital bank licensing

   Règlement n° 24-04 of 13 October 2024 (in force 21 November 2024) defines digital banks (exclusively digital channels) and sets authorization conditions, including head office and platform hosting in Algeria, ≥30% capital held by an experienced Algerian bank, and a ban on physical branches.

   bank-of-algeria.dz news.radioalgerie.dz

5. 05Instant-payment rails

   Domestic card and electronic payment infrastructure is run by SATIM (interbank switch and national e-payment gateway for CIB and Algérie Poste's Edahabia cards), with GIE Monétique (created June 2014) governing the interbank monetary system.

   giemonetique.dz cashmanagement.bnpparibas.com

6. 06Open banking & BNPL gap

   There is no dedicated open-banking (account-access/API) regime or specific Buy-Now-Pay-Later regulation in force; these remain unaddressed by current rules, with a regulatory sandbox for innovators only targeted for 2026.

   bank-of-algeria.dz thefintechtimes.com

Timeline of decisions

1. 17 Aug 2025Guidance · official
   Instruction No. 06-2025: First Comprehensive PSP Licensing and Digital Wallet Rulebook

   The Banque d'Algérie issued its first dedicated rulebook for Payment Service Providers, introducing a three-tier digital wallet system (balances capped at approx. $740 / $3,700 / $7,400), mandatory fund segregation, a minimum capital of DZD 160 million, strong-customer-authentication requirements, and obligatory bank guarantees or professional indemnity insurance. It creates a formal licensing pathway for non-bank fintech payment operators for the first time.

   Banque d'Algérie

2. 15 Aug 2025Decision · official
   Algeria Joins Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS)

   The Banque d'Algérie formally acceded to PAPSS, the Afreximbank/AU-backed continental settlement network, becoming its 18th member country. The move enables Algerian banks to settle intra-African cross-border payments in local currencies, directly supporting AfCFTA trade-finance objectives and reducing correspondent-banking costs.

   PAPSS (Pan-African Payment and Settlement System)

3. 1 Jan 2025Law
   Finance Law 2025: Mandatory Non-Cash Payments for High-Value Transactions

   Article 207 of the Finance Law 2025 outlawed cash for real-estate deals, vehicle and yacht sales, and mandatory insurance premiums, requiring settlement exclusively through banking channels. The same law introduced stamp-duty exemptions for electronic payments and VAT/customs relief on POS-terminal assembly kits until December 2027, shifting fiscal incentives decisively toward cashless adoption.

   Algérie Éco

4. 13 Oct 2024Decision · official
   Regulation 24-04: Dedicated Digital Bank Licensing Statute Issued

   The Banque d'Algérie issued Regulation No. 24-04, the first statute exclusively governing digital-only banks. Key conditions include a local physical headquarters, at least 30 % equity held by an established Algerian bank, full local data-platform hosting, an independent IT audit, and a mandatory exit-plan dossier. Foreign banks may not establish digital-bank branches. The regulation entered into force on 21 November 2024.

   Banque d'Algérie

5. 1 Jun 2024Decision · official
   Switch Mobile Platform: National Interbank Mobile-Payment Interoperability Launched

   GIE Monétique launched the Switch Mobile interoperability platform, enabling QR-code mobile payments across all participating banks regardless of whether sender and recipient bank with the same institution. This broke the prior intra-bank silo restriction and expanded mobile payment utility nationally; 15 banks were targeted for full connection by 2026.

   U.S. International Trade Administration — Algeria Digital Economy Guide

6. 21 Jun 2023Law · official
   Law No. 23-09: New Monetary and Banking Law, Digital Dinar, Digital Banks, Fintech Mandate

   The landmark banking law (published in Journal Officiel No. 43, 27 June 2023) replaced the 2003 framework and formally recognized a central-bank digital currency ('digital dinar') in Article 2, authorized digital banks as a distinct licensing category in Article 90, and directed the Banque d'Algérie to promote fintech innovation and accelerate electronic-payment adoption, providing the statutory basis for all subsequent digital-finance regulations.

   Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne No. 43 (2023)

7. 1 Jan 2020Decision · official
   Mobile Payment Services Launched, Algérie Poste as First Mover

   Algeria launched regulated mobile payment services for the first time, initially led by Algérie Poste connecting its Edahabia prepaid-card holders to QR-code merchant payments via a mobile application linked to the GIE Monétique interbank network. Commercial banks progressively joined through 2022, establishing the QR-code infrastructure that Switch Mobile later made interoperable.

   GIE Monétique

8. 10 May 2018Law · official
   Law No. 18-05: E-Commerce Act, Electronic Payments Channelled Exclusively Through Licensed Banks

   The foundational e-commerce statute mandated that all electronic commercial payments be executed exclusively through Banque d'Algérie-approved banks and Algérie Poste on dedicated platforms connected via the public telecoms network. It established consumer rights, pre-contractual merchant-disclosure requirements, and the '.dz' domain rule for operators, effectively barring third-party non-bank payment processors and setting the governance model for the next decade.

   Ministère de la Poste et des Télécommunications (Algeria)

9. 1 Jan 1995Decision · official
   SATIM Founded, Algeria's Sole Interbank Electronic Payment Operator

   Seven state-owned Algerian banks and the CNMA insurance group founded SATIM (Société d'Automatisation des Transactions Interbancaires et de Monétique) as the exclusive technical operator for interbank electronic payments. SATIM built the national CIB interbank card scheme, the ATM network, and the POS terminal infrastructure that underpins every subsequent digital-payment layer in Algeria.

   SATIM

Sources

1. 1.bank-of-algeria.dz/stoodroa/2023/08/Loi-monetaire-et-bancaire.pdf
2. 2.mf.gov.dz/index.php/fr/activites-2/1217-loi-n-23-09-du-21-juin-2023-portant-loi
3. 3.bank-of-algeria.dz/stoodroa/2025/05/REG.N%C2%B025-02.FR_.pdf
4. 4.bank-of-algeria.dz/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/REG.24-04.FR_.pdf
5. 5.bank-of-algeria.dz/cadre-legislatif-et-reglementaire/
6. 6.elwatan.dz/prestataires-de-services-de-paiement-la-banque-dalgerie-complete-le-d
7. 7.news.radioalgerie.dz/fr/node/55583
8. 8.giemonetique.dz/
9. 9.cashmanagement.bnpparibas.com/atlas-countries/algeria
10. 10.thefintechtimes.com/algerias-fintech-ecosystem-in-2026-by-building-momentum/