Sending cross-border payments from Qatar: the stack

By Polynopsis team · Last updated 29 October 2026

In Qatar a payment company can provide cross-border money transfer only with a QCB exchange house licence, which needs paid-up capital of at least QAR 50 million, while QCB-licensed payment service providers (from QAR 2 million of capital) can let e-money customers remit abroad through licensed exchange houses or local banks and must hold collected customer money in an escrow account with a QCB-licensed bank. The typical stack pairs a Qatari bank for escrow and cash management, Fawran instant transfers (24/7) and QA-RTGS for settlement, QCB-licensed collection providers such as SADAD, Dibsy and SkipCash, and an exchange house such as Al Fardan Exchange for the outbound leg, against a riyal fixed at QR 3.64 to the US dollar.

Currency	QAR
Collection and funding rails	Fawran (Instant Payment System), QA-RTGS, Tahweel, Qatar Mobile Payment (QMP), QPAY (Electronic Payment Gateway)
Holiday calendar	Qatar bank holidays 2026 and 2027

The Qatar market

Personal remittances paid from Qatar were US$12.06 billion in 2025, up from US$11.51 billion in 2024 (World Bank data, last updated 8 October 2026). source
Fawran processed 3.187 million transactions worth QAR 5.092 billion in December 2025, with 3.614 million registered accounts; Qatar Mobile Payment handled 521,567 transactions worth QAR 330.0 million, with 1.270 million registered wallets. source
Qatar's payment systems carried 66.188 million transactions worth QAR 20.089 billion in December 2025, with point-of-sale payments the largest share at 49%. source
According to QCB's Financial Stability Review 2025, the value of payments across all retail payment systems rose 82.1% to QR 1,051.8 billion in 2025 on 352.3 million transactions, and Fawran handled nearly 22.8 million transactions worth QR 37.3 billion in the year. source
From September 2026 QCB lets payment service providers open accounts with the central bank and settle directly in QA-RTGS; SADAD Payment Solutions and Dibsy were the first two to join. source

Licensing: who can send money from Qatar

The Payment Services Regulation entered into force on 15 September 2021 and requires a QCB licence for e-money issuance, merchant acquisition, domestic money transfer and other payment services with a clear payments nexus. source
No payment service provider can contract with anyone in or outside Qatar to provide cross-border money transfer unless it holds a QCB exchange house licence; providers licensed for e-money and domestic transfer can let customers remit from e-money accounts through licensed exchange houses or local banks. source
Licensees that hold customer money (Category I: e-money or merchant acquisition) need capital of QR 2 million, QR 5 million or QR 10 million for fewer than 500,000, 500,000 to 1 million, or more than 1 million transactions a month, or 2% of average outstanding e-money and acquired merchant transactions over the preceding 90 days if higher; licensees that hold no customer money (Category II) need QR 2 million. source
Every licensed non-bank payment service provider must keep a security deposit of at least 2% of its capital requirement with a QCB-licensed bank, or an equivalent bank guarantee. source
An exchange house needs paid-up capital of at least QAR 50 million when applying, plus QAR 5 million for each additional branch; the application fee is QAR 15,000 for a main branch. source
Payment service provider applicants pay a QR 10,000 application fee and an annual licence fee of QR 10,000, QR 20,000 or QR 50,000 depending on their capital requirement, and must start the licensed services within six months of the licence. source
All transactions between accounts or payment instruments issued in Qatar must be settled in Qatar, and any foreign entity providing settlement services must be regulated. source
Al Tamimi & Company reports that under QCB Circular No. 46 of 2019 no licence is granted to provide virtual asset services as a commercial business, and that QCB warned in 2022 it would take legal action against virtual asset service providers operating without a licence. 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.

Holding customer funds

A non-bank payment service provider must place money collected for e-money issued, or received on behalf of merchants as an acquirer, in an escrow account with a QCB-licensed bank, used only for settling clients' funds and reversing transactions, with commissions kept separate; the bank settles merchants' funds within 2 to 5 business days of the payment. source
The licensee must keep its escrow account with only one licensed bank at a time, must file the signed escrow agreement and an authorisation letter from the bank with its licence application, and must not withdraw cash from the escrow account without QCB approval. source
Quarterly certificates confirming that the escrow balance has been adequate to cover the outstanding value of e-money issued must be filed within a fortnight of each quarter end. source
A licensee must not lend money to customers, must not use customer money or interest earned on it to finance its business to any material extent, and must not make cross-border remittances to individuals outside Qatar without an exchange house licence. source
QCB sets per-transaction caps on e-money transfers by customer type, for example QAR 10,000 for individual-to-individual transfers by bank customers and QAR 5,000 by non-bank customers, and e-wallets issued to visiting foreign nationals must be used only inside Qatar. source

Collection and funding rails

Rail	Operator	What matters	Source
Fawran (Instant Payment System)	Qatar Central Bank	Launched in 2024 for instant transfers between bank accounts in Qatar, available 24/7, using a mobile number, alias or IBAN for individuals and an establishment ID, commercial registration or commercial licence for companies.	source
QA-RTGS	Qatar Central Bank	Upgraded in 2024 on ISO 20022; all local banks are direct participants, it integrates with QCB clearing systems and the central securities depository, supports intraday and overnight liquidity facilities, sends banks automated end-of-day statements and settles USD transfers between local banks.	source
Tahweel	Qatar Central Bank	Launched in 2010 for transfers between bank accounts in Qatar, with bulk transfers, Wage Protection System integration, IBAN-based transfers and confirmation of payee.	source
Qatar Mobile Payment (QMP)	Qatar Central Bank	Launched in 2020 for instant transfers between e-wallets of payment service providers, available 24/7, with deposits and withdrawals and QR code payments.	source
QPAY (Electronic Payment Gateway)	Qatar Central Bank	Launched in 2005 for e-commerce payments with cards issued in Qatar, available 24/7, and now also takes cardless payments from bank accounts through Fawran and Tahweel and from wallets through QMP.	source

The send-side stack, layer by layer

A starting shortlist for each layer, described from each provider's own documentation. Confirm terms, coverage and licences with each provider.

Sponsor banks and safeguarding accounts

Provider	What it does	Source
QNB	Corporate e-Business banking with real-time account balances, bulk, salary and WPS file uploads, host-to-host payment authorisation and one view of accounts across QNB's international branches.	source

Collections and pay-ins

Provider	What it does	Source
SADAD Qatar	Licensed by Qatar Central Bank and directly connected to the national NAPS QPay network, with instant payout settlements and real-time tracking.	source
Dibsy	Licensed by Qatar Central Bank under the Payment Service Regulation to provide third party payment services; settles payments to businesses twice a week.	source
SkipCash	Payment gateway licensed by Qatar Central Bank, with e-commerce plugins, payment links, QR payments, tap to phone and subscriptions; supports Visa, Mastercard, mada and Apple Pay.	source

FX and liquidity

Provider	What it does	Source
Al Fardan Exchange (Qatar)	Exchange house with over 120 correspondent bank relationships for credit to bank accounts abroad, cash pickup and Western Union transfers, through branches open throughout the week.	source

KYC and KYB providers

Provider	What it does	Source
Qatar Digital Identity (QDI)	Ministry of Interior digital identity; Doha Bank integrated it so customers verify their QDI-linked biometric identity in real time to open an account.	source

When money can leave Qatar

Working days in Qatar are Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday as the weekly holiday (Emiri Decision No. 57 of 2025). source
Official State holidays are National Day on 18 December, Sports Day on the second Tuesday of February, Eid al-Fitr from 28 Ramadan to the end of 4 Shawwal and Eid al-Adha from 9 to the end of 13 Dhu al-Hijjah; these Eid ranges apply to ministries and public bodies, while banks follow Eid dates set by the QCB Governor. source
For QCB, banks and financial institutions under QCB and QFMA supervision, the QCB Governor sets the start and end dates of the Eid holiday, separately from the Amiri Diwan dates for ministries. source
For Eid al-Adha 2026 QCB closed banks and financial institutions from Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 May and they reopened on Sunday 31 May, a five-day break including the weekend. source
QCB observes a bank holiday on the first Sunday of March each year (1 March in 2026), on which financial institutions close. source
Fawran processes transfers 24/7, including weekends and holidays, unless participating banks or the platform have downtime; Ahlibank caps Fawran at QAR 100,000 per transaction, QAR 400,000 a day and QAR 1,000,000 a month. source
The riyal is fixed at QR 3.64 per US dollar under Amiri Decree No. 34 of 2001; commercial banks trade USD domestically at the QCB price and add a margin of 0.24% when dealing with the public. source
Merchant funds held in escrow are settled by the bank within 2 to 5 business days of the payment, so acquired funds are not available on the day of collection. source

Corridors from here

Frequently asked questions

Who can send money abroad from Qatar?

A payment service provider needs a QCB exchange house licence to provide cross-border money transfer. Without one, a licensed provider can let e-money customers remit abroad only through a licensed exchange house or a local bank.

How much capital does a Qatar payment service provider need?

QR 2 million to QR 10 million for licensees that hold customer money, depending on monthly transaction count, or 2% of outstanding e-money and acquired transactions if higher, and QR 2 million for those that do not. An exchange house needs at least QAR 50 million of paid-up capital.

How must customer money be held in Qatar?

In an escrow account with a single QCB-licensed bank, used only to settle clients' funds and reverse transactions. Cash cannot be withdrawn from the escrow account without QCB approval.

Can a payment company settle directly with QCB?

Yes. Since September 2026 payment service providers can open accounts with QCB and settle directly in QA-RTGS; SADAD and Dibsy were the first to join.

Which days can I fund from Qatar?

Banks work Sunday to Thursday, with a Friday and Saturday weekend. Fawran runs 24/7, and QCB sets bank holiday dates for each Eid shortly before it.

Sources

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