Bank of South Sudan to introduce national switch card to ease transactions

JUBA — The Central Bank of South Sudan has announced plans to introduce a national card switch system, a move expected to modernise the country’s payment infrastructure and ease financial transactions across the banking sector.

The initiative is being advanced through ongoing cooperation with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, as South Sudan seeks to strengthen its faltering financial ecosystem and expand access to digital financial services.

In a statement issued this week, the central bank said a three-day meeting held in Juba between officials from the two institutions focused on implementing a domestic card scheme for South Sudan.

Discussions, according to the public statement seen by Sudans Post, centred on modernising the national payment system, improving transaction efficiency and security, and broadening digital financial services to support economic activity in both the public and private sectors.

The Director for National Payment Systems at the Bank of South Sudan, Akum David Sabhaker, said the partnership with the UAE Central Bank would establish and operate a domestic card switch, a critical infrastructure component designed to process electronic card transactions locally. He noted that the initiative would strengthen the country’s financial architecture and contribute to sustainable economic growth by reducing reliance on external payment processing systems.

The latest engagement builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in August 2025 between the Bank of South Sudan and the UAE Central Bank.

That agreement, signed by Central Bank Governor, Addis Ababa Othow, laid the foundation for cooperation in payment systems development and financial technology, following high-level discussions aimed at accelerating financial sector reforms in South Sudan.

Under the arrangement, witnessed by former Vice President and Chairman of the Economic Cluster Benjamin Bol Mel, technical support and knowledge transfer from UAE payment institutions are expected to assist South Sudan in developing a secure, efficient, and interoperable national card payment framework.

Financial sector observers say the introduction of a national card switch is a significant step toward integrating South Sudan’s banking system into modern digital payment networks.

Currently, card-based and electronic transactions in the country remain limited, with many institutions depending on external platforms or operating fragmented systems. A domestic switch is expected to streamline transaction routing, reduce processing costs, and improve reliability for banks, businesses, and customers.

The central bank indicated that the initiative also aligns with broader efforts to promote financial inclusion by expanding access to digital payment services, particularly for underserved communities.

The bank has not announced a timeline for rollout and the implementation of the initiative in a country where digital infrastructure remains among the lowest on the continent.

The terms of engagement with the UAE government, with which Juba sealed a $13 billion oil-backed loan in April 2024, payable over a period of 20 years, have also not been made public.