[Economics] Electronic payment activity in Morocco: 325.9 million transactions at the end of September 2021

[AMAL]

The overall achievements of the electronic payment activity in Morocco reached 325.9 million transactions for a total of 275 billion dirhams (MMDH) for the first nine months of 2021, according to the Center monétique interbancaire (CMI). This activity, which includes cash withdrawal operations on the ATM network, payment operations with merchants and eMerchants, payment operations on automatic teller machines (ATMs) and Cash Advance operations, by cards banking, Moroccan and foreign, in Morocco, shows an increase of 19.1% in number of operations and 16.7% in amount compared to the same period of the year 2020, specifies the CMI in its latest report. Regarding Moroccan cards, they recorded, in payments and withdrawals, 316.9 million transactions for an amount of MAD 264.5 billion, an increase of + 19.1% in number of transactions and +16.8 % in total amount of transactions, notes the same source.

These transactions are broken down (75.4% in share of the number of transactions and 88.9% in share of the amount), in payment at merchants and eMerchants (24.1% in share of the number of transactions and 11 % as a share of the amount), and in payment on ATMs (0.4% as a share of the number of transactions and 0.1%, as a share of the amount). Thus, withdrawals by Moroccan cards on ATMs in Morocco totaled, during the period of the first 9 months of 2021, 239.1 million transactions for an amount of 235.1 billion dirhams, an increase of +15.3 % in number of operations and an increase of + 15.6% in amount compared to the same period of the year 2020, specifies the report. Moroccan card payment transactions to merchants and eMerchants affiliated to the CMI totaled 76.5 million transactions for an amount of MAD 29.1 billion, up + 33.9% in number of operations and + 27.7% in amount compared to the same period in 2020.

Moroccan bank card payments are distributed, in terms of volume, over supermarkets (26.7%), clothing (11.3%), stations (7.7%), furniture and household items ( 5.8%), restaurants (5.8%), the health sector (5.7%) and other sectors (36.9%). In addition, the CMI indicates that payment transactions on ATMs by Moroccan cards for the payment of bills, taxes and the purchase of telecom top-ups totaled 1.3 million transactions for an amount of 227.5 million dirhams. (MDH) during the first 9 months of 2021, down -17.5% in number of operations and -16.8% in amount compared to the same period of the year 2020. As for Moroccan cards with international validity, they carried out 9.1 million foreign currency transactions abroad or on foreign merchant sites, withdrawals and payments, for a total amount of 3.8 billion dirhams, an increase + 22% in number of transactions and + 18.0% in amount compared to the same period in 2020.

The gradual but strong adoption of contactless payment continues, we have thus gone from a contactless ratio of 9.2% in number and 3.7% in amount during the period of the first 9 months of 2020 to a rate of 32 , 5% in number and 15.7% in amount during the period of the first 9 months of 2021.

https://fnh.ma/article/actualite-economique/activite-monetique-au-maroc-325-9-millions-d-operations-a-fin-septembre-2021