Tunisia Cash in Circulation Hits $10.5 Billion as 2025 Cheque Reforms Drive 16% Surge
Updated
Updated · Business Insider Africa · Aug 24
Tunisia Cash in Circulation Hits $10.5 Billion as 2025 Cheque Reforms Drive 16% Surge
2 articles · Updated · Business Insider Africa · Aug 24
Summary
30.04 billion dinars ($10.5 billion) was in circulation on Aug. 21, a record for Tunisia and 16% above a year earlier, underscoring a stronger shift toward physical cash.
2025 cheque reforms tightened usage rules and penalties for insufficient funds, and the adjustment is showing in payment data: first-half 2026 cheque volumes fell 10.7% and value dropped 12.5%.
58% of electronic payment activity in the first half still consisted of cash withdrawals, showing digital channels are expanding but often serve mainly to access banknotes rather than replace them.
Banks face a liquidity risk because more money held outside deposits shrinks funds available for lending, adding pressure to a system that already relied on 11.59 billion dinars of central bank refinancing at end-2025.