The Algerian Consumer Protection Organization (Himayatec) and the National Association of Algerian Merchants and Artisans (ANCA) have announced the launch of a major national awareness campaign dedicated to promoting electronic payment, particularly via mobile phone. This initiative, jointly led by the two organizations, aims to foster digital culture among consumers and merchants while strengthening trust between the two parties.
This campaign takes place in a context marked by Algeria’s accelerated digital transformation. During an information day held this Monday in Algiers, participants emphasized that mobile payment is a crucial lever for modernizing services and ensuring transparency in commercial transactions.
The president of Himayatec, Mohamed Issaoui, recalled that mobile phone payment is not merely a technological tool but a local service directly impacting citizens’ daily lives. According to him, this payment method will help build a modern national economy based on transparency, digital culture, and innovation.
Mr. Issaoui also explained how mobile payment works, specifying that consumers only need to have a bank account and sign a subscription contract with their bank. They then simply scan the QR code displayed by the merchant to transfer money in seconds, without a bank card or cash, in a fully secure environment.
The president of Himayatec emphasized the need for close cooperation between financial and technological institutions, merchants, artisans, and civil society to ensure the success of this digital transition. To this end, he announced the signing of a partnership and cooperation agreement between Himayatec and ANCA, aimed at unifying their efforts and organizing joint awareness activities across the national territory.
On his side, the president of ANCA, Hadj Tahar Boulenouar, affirmed that electronic payment has become an economic and social necessity, representing the gateway to digitalization in Algeria. He highlighted that payment via phone occupies a strategic place, with the smartphone now indispensable in daily life.
Mr. Boulenouar also recalled that several national initiatives have already been launched to encourage merchants and artisans to adopt mobile payment, supported by clear political will and the establishment of digital platforms by various institutions.
For him, the widespread use of electronic payment via mobile should be seen not as a constraint but as a legitimate demand from merchants and citizens, given the advantages it offers, particularly in terms of transaction transparency.
In this regard, the head of division of the GIE Monétique, Boubakr Belloul, recalled that the “DZ Mob Pay” system, launched last January, already has 78,000 users and more than 11,000 affiliated merchants. Seven banks, including five public and two private, currently participate in this system allowing transactions via a universal QR code. He also specified that Algeria has 21 million active electronic payment cards, of which 80% are Eddahabia cards from Algérie Poste and 20% are bank cards, thereby confirming the continuous progress in the digitization of payment methods in the country.