The Tunisian Banking and Finance Council (CBF) and the German International Cooperation (GIZ) – “Financial Inclusion in Tunisia – Promoting Digital Finance” project – announced on Tuesday the signing of a grant agreement for the implementation of the project entitled “Development of payment agent networks in North-West Tunisia”.

The aim of this strategic agreement is to promote financial inclusion and training and to develop distribution channels. It targets economically active, low-income people in the rural and peri-urban areas of Béja, Jendouba and Bizerte. The target group is 70% women.

The signing ceremony was attended by Mouna Saaied, Managing Director of CBF, Jamel Ben Yaccoub, Director General of the Observatory of Financial Inclusion (OIF), Bilal Yan Hagen, Project Manager of IFT – GIZ, member banks, payment institutions and economic experts.

The project “Development of payment agent networks in North-West Tunisia”, which is part of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, aims to increase access to formal financial services and financial inclusion for low-income people living in rural and peri-urban areas in North-West Tunisia through the development of payment agent networks in accordance with Tunisian regulations, in particular Circular No. 2018-16 on the rules governing the activity and operation of payment institutions.

It aims to have a significant and quantifiable impact in the short term (2023) and medium term (2030) by increasing the use of formal financial services, boosting the income of small traders through the development of new payment methods, and promoting cash savings.

The GIZ grant for the implementation of the project was awarded to the CBF in its capacity as

as the professional body representing Tunisian banks and financial institutions, and for its expertise in this field.

The call for applications from payment institutions and the consultations for the recruitment of service providers for the project (project management and monitoring expert, regulatory framework expert, technology watch expert, facilitator, event agency, communication agency) will be published and made available to the public on the CBF’s website.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse