Fintech & payments regulation in Jordan (2026)
Fintech and digital payments in Jordan: licensing regime.
Jordan operates a clear, in-force licensing regime for digital payments. The CBJ licenses and supervises electronic payment service providers, e-money issuers, and payment system operators under Bylaw No. 111 of 2017, and runs national instant-payment rails (JoMoPay and CliQ via JoPACC). The CBJ has further advanced an open finance framework (2022 instructions, 2024 Jordan Open Finance Standards) and a regulatory sandbox (JoRegBox), with BNPL currently tested in the sandbox rather than under a dedicated statute.
Legal framework
Electronic Payment and Money Transfer Bylaw No. (111) of 2017, issued under the Electronic Transactions Law No. (15) of 2015, administered and supervised by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ).
Key points: digital payments & fintech in Jordan
Core licensing regime
Bylaw No. (111) of 2017 grants the CBJ authority to license entities operating electronic payment systems, payment service providers, e-money issuance/management, and money-transfer services, setting capital minimums, guarantees, fees, penalties, and licence-cancellation conditions.
Regulator
The Central Bank of Jordan is the dedicated regulatory and oversight authority for the national payment system, reviewing applications from payment companies, banks, and exchange houses and supervising operators on an ongoing basis.
Licensing guidelines
The CBJ publishes a formal Licensing Guideline for electronic payments and money-transfer activities covering both local companies and branches of foreign companies, operationalizing the Bylaw's licence-application process.
Instant-payment rails
JoMoPay (national mobile-payment switch, launched 2014) and CliQ (instant account-to-account/wallet system, launched June 2020) are operated by JoPACC under CBJ supervision, fully interoperable since the 2021 ISO 20022 upgrade, with final settlement via the RTGS system.
Open finance
In December 2022 the CBJ issued binding 'Regulating Open Finance Services' instructions requiring banks and licensed PSPs to expose secure APIs for Account Information Services and Payment Initiation Services; JoPACC launched the unified Jordan Open Finance Standards in 2024.
Sandbox & BNPL
The CBJ runs a regulatory sandbox (JoRegBox) for fintech pilots, including open-banking firms (e.g., Fintech Galaxy) and BNPL providers (e.g., Mada). BNPL is presently tested under sandbox supervision rather than a standalone BNPL statute.
Sources
- cbj.gov.jo/EN/List/Payment_Systems_Legislations
- cbj.gov.jo/ebv4.0/root_storage/en/eb_list_page/bylaw_of_electronic_payment_and_m
- cbj.gov.jo/ebv4.0/root_storage/en/eb_list_page/licensing_guideline_for_electroni
- cbj.gov.jo/ebv4.0/root_storage/en/eb_list_page/regulatory_framework_of_oversight
- cbj.gov.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=321
- jopacc.com/book/legal-and-regulatory-framework
- jordantimes.com/news/local/central-bank-issues-instructions-regulate-open-finance-ser
- jopacc.com/media-center/news/jopacc-launches-jordan-open-finance-standards
- fintechfutures.com/open-banking/fintech-galaxy-joins-cbj-s-regulatory-sandbox-to-test-op
- jordantimes.com/news/biz-club/mada-secures-155m-pre-seed-funding-to-redefine-digital-
Next for Jordan: Digital Nomad & ResidencyVia other route
Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 25 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026