How do people in Algeria pay online?
Few Algerians buy online yet, and cash on delivery is as common as paying online. The World Bank’s Global Findex survey found that 6.78% of adults used a phone or the internet to buy something online in 2024. Of all adults, 3.45% paid cash on delivery and 3.33% paid online. Account ownership was 35.29%, and 22.2% of adults owned a debit card.
Online card payments run on two domestic cards. The Bank of Algeria reports 19,844,903 cards in circulation at the end of 2024. Algérie Poste issued 15,605,882 of them, the Edahabia card, and banks issued 4,239,021 CIB interbank cards. Edahabia cards are far more active: 91.68% were used during the year, against 35.11% of CIB cards. In total, 15.8 million cards were active.
Internet payments are growing fast from a small base. Card issuers recorded 19.6 million internet transactions worth DZD 52 billion in 2024, up 27.6% in volume and 61.3% in value on 2023. In the interbank system alone, internet payments rose 70.6% to 5.9 million and their value grew 127.8% to DZD 28.5 billion. The number of approved web merchants rose from 510 to 582 during 2024, which the central bank says remains far from the goals set by the e-commerce law of May 2018.
Cash still dominates card use. ATM withdrawals made up 82.8% of interbank card transactions by volume and 90.9% by value in 2024. The US Department of State notes that Algerian bank debit cards run on a system separate from international payment networks and that very few retailers accept international cards. Mobile payments inside individual banks reached 58 million transactions worth DZD 43.6 billion in 2024, which the central bank calls a very encouraging start.
What rules shape online payments in Algeria?
Online sellers must be local. The US Commercial Service, in its 2023 e-commerce guide, explains that the 2018 law requires online marketplaces to host their website in Algeria and register with the Algerian commercial registry. The same guide notes that individual Algerians could not buy goods online from abroad under the law, while businesses could buy foreign goods online for their own use.
Foreign exchange control is strict. According to the US Department of State, exchanging Algerian dinars outside Algeria is illegal, and carrying more than DZD 10,000 in cash abroad is not allowed. The Bank of Algeria manages the dinar against a basket of currencies, and the IMF classifies the regime as an other managed arrangement. Exchange control law is described as strict and complex, and a large informal market trades dollars and euros at a significant premium.
Personal data is protected by Law No. 18-07 of 10 June 2018, amended by Law No. 25-11 of 24 July 2025. Transfers of personal data abroad need the authorisation of the National Data Protection Authority and an adequate level of protection in the receiving country, unless an exception such as the person’s express consent applies. Breaches must be notified to the authority and to the person within five days.
Algeria has left the FATF grey list. The Financial Action Task Force removed Algeria from its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring in June 2026, after Algeria completed the action plan agreed in October 2024.
How would Omno route payments in Algeria?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Algeria:
- Edahabia and CIB pay-ins in DZD would go to a local bank or provider approved for internet payments, with the order held as pending until the final status arrives.
- Card routing by BIN would separate Edahabia, CIB and international Visa or Mastercard cards, sending each to the provider the rule names, with cascading to the next provider in the rule if one is unavailable or rejects the request.
- Currency rules would keep domestic cards in DZD and send foreign currency orders only to providers that accept international cards.
Webhooks would report the final status of every payment, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for Edahabia first. Algérie Poste issues almost four in five domestic cards and they are the most active, so a checkout without Edahabia misses most cardholders.
Plan for a local entity and DZD. The e-commerce law expects online sellers to be registered and hosted in Algeria, and domestic cards settle in dinars, so selling to Algerian consumers usually needs a local presence and a local acquiring bank.
Plan for cash on delivery alongside cards. As many online shoppers pay on delivery as pay online, so offer card payment as the faster option rather than the only one.
Plan for data rules. Moving customer data abroad needs authorisation from the National Data Protection Authority, so check where your payment and order data are stored.