Qatar has rebuilt its payments rulebook since 2021. Qatar Central Bank (QCB) now licenses and supervises non-bank payment service providers, has launched national payment infrastructure from a domestic card to an instant payment system, and in September 2026 gave licensed PSPs direct access to central bank settlement. For firms operating in Qatar or planning to enter, the framework is established and supervision is becoming more demanding.

The Payment Services Regulations

QCB's Payment Services Regulations, issued under Circular No. 23 of 2021, came into force on 15 September 2021. Anyone providing regulated payment services in Qatar needs a QCB licence; banks licensed by QCB are exempt. The regulated services are:

  • E-money issuance, including e-wallets, with transaction limits
  • Merchant acquiring
  • Local fund transfers
  • Other services, including payment portals, settlement services for PSPs and ATM operation

The Regulations cover governance, capital, security and risk management, AML/CFT and KYC, outsourcing and licensing fees. QCB's separate Information and Cyber Security Regulation for PSPs, issued in 2022, sets technology and data security requirements, and customer data is also protected under the Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law No. 13 of 2016). Firms should plan early for QCB's expectations on where data is hosted and on outsourcing to group companies or cloud providers.

National payment infrastructure

  • NAPS: the national switch for debit card payments and ATMs.
  • Himyan: Qatar's national payment card, launched by QCB in 2024 and since extended to other GCC countries and digital wallets.
  • Fawran: the instant payment system, live since early 2024, available for online purchases through the QPay gateway since October 2024.
  • QPay: the national e-commerce payment gateway.
  • QA-RTGS: the central bank settlement system. Since 1 September 2026 licensed PSPs can hold accounts and settle directly; SADAD and Dibsy were the first to join.

BNPL and new services

QCB issued Buy-Now-Pay-Later Regulations in August 2023. BNPL providers need a QCB licence, products must be interest-free with repayment over no more than 12 months, and providers must carry the credit risk themselves. For new models whose licence category is unclear, QCB's regulatory sandbox offers a way to test under supervision before a full application.

Open banking

QCB's FinTech Strategy (2023–2028) sets out an open banking roadmap. Payment initiation and data-sharing services are being tested in the QCB sandbox, but a standalone open banking regulation has not yet been issued. Until it is, firms should expect access to depend on bilateral arrangements with banks and on sandbox permissions, and the clearest near-term use cases are account information services for businesses, such as cash-flow forecasting and treasury automation.

AML/CFT obligations

Licensed payment firms must meet Qatar's AML/CFT law (Law No. 20 of 2019) and QCB's AML/CFT instructions, which follow the FATF Recommendations. In practice this means risk-based customer due diligence with enhanced checks for PEPs and high-risk customers, ongoing monitoring, transaction monitoring suited to the business, suspicious transaction reports to the Qatar Financial Information Unit, Travel Rule data on cross-border transfers and proper record keeping. Qatar's large expatriate remittance flows make cross-border monitoring a particular focus.

National strategy

QCB's payments agenda supports Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third Financial Sector Strategy: less cash, more electronic payments, digital government payments and a stronger fintech sector. Acquirers and merchants should expect continued pressure to expand electronic acceptance, including domestic schemes and instant payments.

Entering the Qatar market: a straightforward QCB licence application typically takes six to twelve months. Common causes of delay are incomplete data hosting and outsourcing arrangements, AML documentation that is not ready at application, and group structures that raise fit-and-proper questions. Applicants who brief QCB before applying, whether through the sandbox or an informal meeting, do better than those who file cold. MENA Advisory is based in Doha and supports clients through QCB authorisation.