Morocco ends near-monopoly of CMI, opens electronic payment market to competition

Starting May 1, 2025, Morocco’s Competition Council has authorized payment institutions (EDP) and bank subsidiaries specialized in acquiring services to operate in the electronic payment acquisition market. This move marks a major step toward ending the near-monopoly previously held by the Interbank Electronic Payment Center (CMI).

Under Decision No. 152/D/2024, the CMI is required to transfer all merchant affiliation contracts and its online payment gateway services to the new entrants within 12 months. As of November 1, 2024, the CMI will no longer be allowed to sign new contracts and must instead become a neutral technical platform serving all payment operators on fair and non-discriminatory terms.

The Council emphasized that shareholder banks must ensure the legal and financial independence of their acquiring subsidiaries and refrain from directly selling electronic payment services. However, banks may promote acquiring services through their branches, provided customers retain the freedom to choose their provider.

The Competition Council praised the rapid progress made so far, based on the first implementation report covering November 2024 to April 2025. It urged all stakeholders to sustain momentum and finalize the remaining commitments by the end of the transition period on November 1, 2025.