Ooredoo Fintech and Central Bank of Tunisia Launch walletii Digital Wallet
Tunis, Tunisia — February 23, 2026 — Ooredoo Fintech announced regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Tunisia to launch walletii by Ooredoo, a digital wallet designed to enhance financial inclusion for underbanked populations. The service will enable bill payments, money transfers, and cash withdrawals through a nationwide agent network, marking a strategic expansion following the wallet’s launch in Oman in 2024.
Announcement Specifics
Ooredoo Fintech secured the regulatory license on February 23, 2026. The digital wallet operates in partnership with QNB Group, a regional financial institution, and Monétique, Tunisia’s national electronic payments operator. The platform integrates with Tunisia’s local financial infrastructure to ensure regulatory compliance and offers peer-to-peer transfers, bill payment functionality, and cash access through an extensive agent distribution network. No transaction volume targets or user projections were disclosed.
Stakeholder Perspective
“This approval enables us to expand the walletii brand into a new market by bringing a proven, successful digital wallet to Tunisia. By leveraging our experience across the region, we aim to empower consumers and businesses with secure, everyday payment solutions that support financial inclusion and local economic growth.”
— Mirko Giacco, International CEO at Ooredoo Fintech
Why it matters: The statement positions walletii as a replicable regional model, indicating Ooredoo Fintech’s intent to leverage telecom infrastructure for scalable fintech deployments across multiple MENA markets.
Industry Context
Tunisia’s digital payments sector is experiencing acceleration as part of MENA’s broader fintech expansion, driven by efforts to address low banking penetration rates. Mobile money solutions are gaining regulatory traction across North Africa as central banks seek to formalize informal economies and digitize cash-dependent transactions. Ooredoo Fintech, operating across MENA markets, utilizes existing telecommunications networks to deploy financial services at scale, a model proving effective in markets with underdeveloped traditional banking infrastructure.
The Tunisia launch reinforces Ooredoo’s regional positioning, where it already operates telecom services, and aligns with broader MENA expansion strategies targeting unbanked and underbanked segments. The regulatory approval signals Tunisia’s openness to innovation-driven financial inclusion models, potentially influencing competitive dynamics as traditional banks and fintech challengers respond.
Conclusion
The walletii launch is expected to digitize payment workflows for underbanked Tunisian consumers, with rollout timing to be announced. Ooredoo Fintech continues to pursue MENA market expansion through its telecom-fintech convergence strategy.
Sources: Fintech News, Walletii, Ooredoo Fintech, LinkedIn
