The tightening of the legal framework for checks has prompted companies and traders to turn en masse to bills of exchange.
The first quarter of 2025 saw an explosion in the use of bills of exchange in Tunisia. Between January and March, no fewer than 860,000 bills were issued, representing a 107% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
In terms of value, these securities reached 11.2 billion dinars, marking a 35% year-on-year increase.
This spectacular development is mainly due to the new law on checks, which came into force on February 2, 2025 and strengthens the penalties for issuing checks without sufficient funds, entering into force on February 2, 2025.
Faced with stricter regulations and the increased likelihood of legal action for check payment defaults, many economic players have chosen to move away from checks in favor of bills of exchange, which are perceived as a more flexible and less legally risky alternative.
This rapid shift demonstrates the Tunisian economy’s, particularly SMEs’, ability to adapt to new legal constraints.
Primarily used in business-to-business transactions, bills of exchange enable the formalization of a deferred payment commitment without exposing the drawer to criminal penalties applicable to unpaid checks.
