Central Bank of Jordan and MENA Fintech Association Launch Quarterly Fintech Dialogue, Point to a Shift From Foundation-Building to Ecosystem Activation

Amman — The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) and the MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) launched a Quarterly Fintech Update Series, signalling a shift in Jordan’s digital finance strategy from foundation‑building to active ecosystem activation. The first session, held on June 25, 2026, brought together banks, fintech firms, investors and regulators and was led by Abdulrahman Al‑ababneh, Assistant Executive Manager at the Central Bank of Jordan, and chaired by Nameer Khan, Chairman of the MENA Fintech Association.

"Jordan's fintech progress was never only about new technology. It has been about building the legal certainty, infrastructure and institutional trust that let innovation take hold safely. With CliQ now past 1.6 million users and our open finance framework moving toward implementation, we're shifting from putting the foundation in place to actively growing the ecosystem, without giving up the oversight that keeps the market stable," said Abdulrahman Al‑ababneh.

The session covered digital payments, open finance, virtual assets, the regulatory sandbox and cross‑border payment plans, and closed with a moderated Q&A on tokenization, stablecoins, buy now pay later (BNPL) financing and non‑resident access to Jordan’s payment systems. MFTA framed the dialogue as the beginning of an ongoing engagement with CBJ, describing Jordan as an established and increasingly strategic fintech market for the region.

Key metrics and regulatory milestones

• CliQ, Jordan’s instant payment system, reached 1.66 million users and JOD 12.2 billion (US$17.1 billion) in account‑based transaction value by 2024. The system recorded 84 million transactions in that period.
• JoMoPay, the wallet‑based instant payments platform, expanded from 216,000 users in 2017 to 2.58 million users in 2024, with transaction value rising from JOD 6.5 million (US$9.1 million) in 2017 to JOD 5.1 billion (US$7.1 billion). Transactions increased to 56.8 million from 164,319 in 2017.
• The Virtual Asset Dealing Law (June 2025) and the VASP Licensing By Law (November 2025) now form the legal core of Jordan’s virtual asset framework, with licensing responsibilities split between the Jordan Securities Commission and CBJ.
• CBJ’s regulatory sandbox has received 29 applications to date; nine projects are currently in testing and four are in an express sandbox track, including the country’s first virtual asset, BNPL and insurtech pilots.

"Jordan is showing what a regulator‑led approach to fintech growth can look like. The instant payment numbers alone make the case: 1.6 million CliQ users and JOD 12.2 billion moving through the system. Add a virtual asset law, an open finance framework due this year and an active sandbox, and you have a market that's ready for real investment, not just conversation," said Nameer Khan.

Outlook — next steps and ongoing studies

CBJ confirmed work is underway on CliQ Plus, a cross‑border extension of the instant payment system being developed with the instant payment operator, payment service providers and licensed exchange houses to protect existing market participants. An updated open finance framework that will cover both Account Information Services and Payment Initiation Services is expected by the end of 2026.

On tokenization, stablecoins and central bank digital currencies, CBJ said these remain under study and are not yet part of a formal regulatory framework. The Quarterly Fintech Update Series is positioned as a mechanism to sustain regulator‑industry dialogue as Jordan shifts from establishing infrastructure and legal certainty to actively scaling its fintech ecosystem.