Launching payments in Egypt: the stack

By Polynopsis team · Last updated 28 October 2026

Paying out in Egypt means delivering pounds, or US dollars to some bank accounts, through CBE-licensed banks, which since December 2024 can credit inbound remittances to customers' accounts in real time over the Instant Payment Network that also runs InstaPay 24/7, including official holidays. Cross-border payment companies typically use payout networks such as Thunes, TerraPay, dLocal, Nium or Flutterwave, or correspondent tie-ups with banks such as Banque Misr or Banque du Caire, reach mobile wallets such as Vodafone Cash, and convert at the market-determined rate in place since March 2024; the CBE has said it has never licensed crypto trading.

Currency	EGP
Local payout rails	IPN / InstaPay, CBE RTGS, EG-ACH
Holiday calendar	Egypt bank holidays 2026 and 2027

The Egypt market

Egypt received US$41.52 billion in personal remittances in 2025, equal to 11.4% of GDP, up from US$29.56 billion in 2024 (World Bank data, last updated 8 October 2026). source
Remittances from Egyptians working abroad reached a record of about US$47.3 billion in FY2025/2026 (July 2025 to June 2026), up 29.6% from around US$36.5 billion in FY2024/2025 (CBE). source
Egypt's Instant Payment Network had about 22 million registered customers by the end of Q2 2026, with about 1.47 billion transactions worth EGP 4.33 trillion, according to CBE Governor Hassan Abdalla (1 October 2026). source
Sending SAR 750 from Saudi Arabia to Egypt cost 5.15% on average in Q3 2025 (average fee SAR 31.66, exchange rate margin 0.92%), the latest quarter published on the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide. source
The CBE's IPN page lists 36 participants registered to the Instant Payment Network, including the CBE itself and banks such as National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr, CIB and Banque du Caire. source

Licensing: who can pay out in Egypt

The CBE's Rules for Licensing and Registration of Payment System Operators and Payment Service Providers (June 2025), issued under Law No. 194 of 2020, cover domestic and foreign-based institutions serving customers in Egypt, including sending and receiving remittances in EGP; existing payment institutions had a 12-month grace period to apply. source
Under the same rules, a foreign-based payment institution can be licensed to serve customers inside Egypt provided it is licensed by the corresponding regulator in its home country. source
In December 2024 the CBE granted several banks the licences and approvals to receive inbound remittances instantly and credit them in real time to customers' accounts through the IPN, after a pilot launched in June 2024 through licensed bank correspondents and foreign exchange companies abroad. source
The CBE's list of international agents offering instant inbound remittances to Egypt includes UAE exchange houses (such as Al Ansari, Al Fardan and LuLu), Saudi banks (Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi National Bank, Alinma Bank, Arab National Bank and Bank Albilad) and exchange companies in Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Bahrain. source
Law No. 194 of 2020 criminalises issuing, trading or promoting cryptocurrencies without a CBE licence, and the CBE stated in March 2023 that no licence has ever been issued for such trading in the Egyptian market. source

This page explains the rules in general terms and is not legal or regulatory advice. Check the primary source and take advice on how the rules apply to your firm.

Payout rails in Egypt

Rail	Operator	What matters for payouts	Source
IPN / InstaPay	Egyptian Banks Company (EBC), for the Central Bank of Egypt	Launched on 22 March 2022, the IPN links all banks operating in Egypt for real-time transfers on weekdays and official holidays to accounts, wallets and cards; InstaPay limits are EGP 70,000 per transaction, EGP 120,000 per day and EGP 400,000 per month, per bank registered in the app.	source
CBE RTGS	Central Bank of Egypt	Real-time gross settlement owned and operated by the CBE, open 08:30 to 16:30 every working day; all banks are direct participants, and it settles the netting results of the CBE cheque clearing house, the National Switch and EBC's ACH.	source
EG-ACH	Egyptian Banks Company (EBC)	Bulk interbank clearing of direct credits and debits; EGP batches are processed for settlement in the CBE RTGS from 09:00, 10:45, 12:45 and 14:45, with an end-of-day batch from 15:45.	source

The Egypt payments stack, layer by layer

The providers below are a starting shortlist for each layer, described from their own documentation. Confirm terms, coverage and licences with each provider.

Payout and collection partners

Provider	What it does in Egypt	Source
Thunes · our guide	Its money transfer API pays EGP in Egypt to bank accounts over RTGS and the Instant Payment Network, to mobile wallets and for cash pickup through Fawry Plus, with Banque du Caire branches as the fallback.	source
TerraPay · our guide	Its API pays Egyptian bank accounts (bank name, account number and SWIFT/BIC) and InstaPay-based bank transactions using the EG_INSTAPAY provider code with a 14-digit InstaPay account number.	source
dLocal · our guide	Payouts V3 pays EGP to bank accounts (BIC and IBAN) and to Vodafone, Etisalat, Orange and bank wallets for B2C, B2B and P2P flows.	source
Nium · our guide	Pays EGP to all major Egyptian banks T+1 with a 13:00 GMT cut-off, Sunday to Thursday, and to wallets including Vodafone Cash, Orange Cash and Etisalat Cash same day, Sunday to Thursday; P2P bank payouts are capped at USD 15,000 per end-user.	source
Flutterwave · our guide	Supports bank and mobile wallet payouts to recipients in Egypt through its dashboard and APIs, enabled after full KYC review.	source

Local banking and settlement accounts

Provider	What it does in Egypt	Source
Banque Misr	Its international partners send instant transfers 24/7, including public holidays, to any Egyptian bank account, bank card or e-wallet, and remittances can be received in Egyptian pounds or US dollars.	source
Banque du Caire	Receives remittances through money transfer companies for credit to accounts at BDC or other Egyptian banks, its prepaid Remittance Card (EGP only, up to EGP 70,000 per transaction), its Qahera Cash wallet or any bank or telecom wallet in Egypt, and cash pickup at BDC branches and Fawry Plus branches (EGP only, up to EGP 20,000).	source
National Bank of Egypt	Its Remittance Hub receives remittances and credits beneficiaries' accounts and cards at other banks in Egypt, and agents in the Gulf can send remittances to PhoneCash and Orange Cash wallets.	source

FX and liquidity

Provider	What it does in Egypt	Source
Market-determined EGP rate	At a special MPC meeting on 6 March 2024 the CBE said it would keep inflation as its nominal anchor while allowing the exchange rate to be determined by market forces, to unify the official and parallel rates.	source
CBE official exchange rates	The CBE publishes official exchange rates in pounds for each business date, with historical data.	source

KYC and KYB providers

Provider	What it does in Egypt	Source
Digital Financial Identity platform (CBE)	CBE regulations issued on 23 August 2026 set up an approved Digital Financial Identity platform for banks, licensed entities and authorised banking agents to identify customers and verify identities electronically (eKYC).	source
VLens	Egypt national ID verification API that combines OTP phone checks, Arabic OCR of the national ID, liveness with face match, Civil Status Organization record verification and NTRA checks, under FRA Decision 140 of 2023.	source
uqudo	Verifies Egyptian national ID cards, passports and driving licences with AI document scanning and tampering detection.	source
Shufti	Verifies the Egyptian national ID, passport, driving licence and residence permit, and supports KYB documents such as commercial registry certificates and tax registration certificates.	source

Funding and prefunding EGP payouts

CBE RTGS business days run Sunday to Thursday, excluding participants' public holidays, and the CBE can declare a public holiday a business day if necessary. source
The RTGS daily schedule sets the cut-off for bank-to-bank payments at 16:30, so interbank pound settlement closes each working afternoon. source
The CBE describes IPN services as instant transfers 24/7 to all banks' customers, and inbound remittances can be credited to accounts in real time through the IPN at licensed banks. source
Banque Misr pays remittances in cash on Fridays, Saturdays and official holidays through selected branches. source

Size the prefund to your runway target with the corridor runway calculator and the Egypt holiday calendar.

Launch checklist

Plan: launch volume, the prefund sized to your runway target including weekends and holidays, the contracting entity and the funding route.
Open accounts: shortlist payout partners and a local banking route from the layers above, and prepare the onboarding pack.
Set up: read access to every new balance, a runway target with alerts, and the corridor in your daily reports.
Go live: the first prefund and a test payout, then daily monitoring.

Polynopsis turns this into one plan with named approvals, then shows every Egypt partner, bank and wallet in one live position. See how a corridor launch works.

Frequently asked questions

Can Egyptian beneficiaries be paid in US dollars?

Some can. Banque Misr says remittances can be received in Egyptian pounds or US dollars; wallet payouts are in EGP.

Do inbound remittances reach Egyptian bank accounts instantly?

Yes at licensed banks. Since December 2024 the CBE has licensed several banks to credit inbound remittances to customers' accounts in real time through the IPN, which runs 24/7.

What are InstaPay's limits?

EGP 70,000 per transaction, EGP 120,000 per day and EGP 400,000 per month, applied per bank registered in the app.

Does a foreign payment company need a CBE licence?

The CBE's June 2025 licensing rules cover foreign-based payment institutions serving customers in Egypt, including remittances in EGP. They can be licensed if they hold a licence from their home regulator.

Are crypto or stablecoin ramps licensed in Egypt?

No. Law No. 194 of 2020 criminalises crypto trading without a CBE licence, and the CBE said in March 2023 that no such licence has ever been issued.

When does Egypt's RTGS run?

08:30 to 16:30 on working days, Sunday to Thursday, with a 16:30 cut-off for bank-to-bank payments.

Other markets

Sources

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