The Development of payment agent networks in Northwestern Tunisia project has benefited around 100 professionals, President of the Banking Association (Conseil Bancaire et Financier – CBF) Néji Ghandri said at a closure ceremony held Friday.
These agents were trained in the customer recruitment process, trade policy, financial management and cash management.
Launched last June at CBF’s initiative in partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), this project helped raise awareness among 4,000 people about the use of digital financial services through a street marketing campaign.
The aim is to increase access to formal financial services and ensure financial inclusion for low-income people in rural and peri-urban areas in northwestern Tunisia.
The project, which targets Jendouba, Bizerte and Béja, aims to develop the network of payment agents pursuant to Tunisian regulations, especially Circular No. 2018-16 on the rules governing the activity and operation of payment institutions.
CBF President said the professionalisation of payment agents is crucial for developing distribution networks of payment institutions and improving customer access to financial systems.
This project has also contributed to technical assistance for payment institutions and to the development of the payment ecosystem.
In the short term (2023), the project aims to generate a significant and quantifiable impact, said CBF Director for Digital Payment and Cyber Security Fethi Mannai.
“In the medium term (2030), it is designed to increase resort to formal financial services, boost the income of small traders through the development of new payment methods and encourage decashing”, he added.
This project falls under the National Financial Inclusion and Decashing Strategy implemented by CBF and funded by GIZ under its “Financial Inclusion in Tunisia – Promoting Digital Finance” project.
Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse