Jordan’s Fintech Sector Moves from “Internal Building” to “Regional Radiation”
Jordan’s fintech sector is moving from the “internal building” phase to the “regional radiation” phase. According to Ghassan Abu Shehab, Executive Director of the Payment Systems Supervision Department at the Central Bank of Jordan, digital payment systems in the Kingdom processed more than 184 million digital transactions in 2025, with a value exceeding 27 billion Jordanian dinars. The instant payments system completed about 140 million transactions worth approximately 17 billion dinars, while card payments exceeded 350 million transactions worth more than 25 billion dinars, and electronic bill payments reached more than 66 million transactions. The number of electronic point-of-sale terminals exceeded 93,000, and the number of e-wallet users approached 3 million.
A Flexible Regulatory Environment for Startups
Abu Shehab believes that this volume reflects not only a technical advantage but also maturity in the regulatory environment and growing confidence from companies. In regulating startups, Jordan adopted a flexible framework similar to a “Regulatory Sandbox,” based on lowering capital requirements in the initial stage and allowing companies to test their products on a limited scale of customers under direct supervision of regulatory authorities, before moving to the full licensing stage. This gradual approach reduces operational risks for startups and gives entrepreneurs room to innovate without bearing heavy early financial burdens.
The Next Phase: Regional Value Added
The next phase has become clear: converting local progress into regional value added, so that Jordan becomes a center for managing and developing digital financial solutions at the regional level. Abu Shehab identifies three main pillars for this phase: enhancing the export of digital financial services, developing cross-border solutions, especially in international remittances, and expanding into new areas such as insurance technology, social finance, digital leasing finance, and innovative finance.
Source
Source: Qatar News Agency (QNA)
