Algeria's Central Bank Launches National Payments Committee to Reduce Cash Use

The Bank of Algeria has issued a new regulatory framework aimed at accelerating the shift toward electronic payments across the country. The framework establishes a National Payments Committee, created in April 2024, to design and implement a national strategy for promoting scriptural payment methods such as bank cards, online transfers and other digital transactions.

The committee, chaired by the governor or a vice‑governor of the central bank, brings together representatives from the ministries of Finance, Justice, Commerce, Post, Digitalisation, Knowledge Economy, as well as the banking sector, Algeria Post, the professional banking association and security services. Its mandate is to coordinate the rollout of digital payment tools, monitor adoption rates and ensure the security of electronic transactions, with the goal of gradually reducing the dominance of cash in everyday Algerian commerce.