Digital Transformation in Sudan: 234 Million Banking Transactions Signal the Emergence of a Less Cash-Dependent Economy

Dr Marwa Fouad Qabbani
Strategic Planning and Digital Transformation Expert
Sudan’s banking sector is undergoing a rapid digital transformation, with electronic transfers between bank accounts increasing significantly. This trend reflects a gradual shift in customer behaviour, as individuals and businesses increasingly embrace modern financial channels in place of traditional cash-based transactions.
The Central Bank of Sudan has announced that its Electronic Banking Services Company has recorded substantial progress in interbank account transfers using the Basic Bank Account Number (BBAN) system. Between 2025 and 2026, the total number of completed transactions exceeded 234 million, marking a significant milestone in the country’s digital financial journey.
The Basic Bank Account Number (BBAN) is a standardised banking identifier designed to unify bank account information, facilitating faster, more accurate transfers between customers and financial institutions while reducing errors and eliminating many conventional processing steps.
According to the Central Bank’s Progress Report, the number of transactions increased from 92.8 million in 2025 to 141.46 million during the first half of 2026, representing an increase of approximately 48.66 million transactions, or 52.44 per cent.
These figures demonstrate a substantial expansion in the use of electronic banking services. However, they should be interpreted from two complementary perspectives. The first concerns the scale of adoption, as digital transfers have become an everyday payment method for a growing proportion of customers. The second relates to the financial value of these transactions. While rising transaction volumes do not necessarily indicate that all economic activity has migrated to digital channels, they do point to a significant change in the way money is managed and transferred within the economy.
This growth comes at a time when Sudan’s economy urgently needs more efficient mechanisms to circulate liquidity. Electronic payments reduce the cost of handling physical cash, accelerate the movement of funds, enhance financial transparency, and reduce reliance on transactions conducted outside the formal banking system.
The expansion of digital banking also represents an important step towards greater financial inclusion by providing individuals and businesses with more accessible payment and transfer mechanisms while integrating a larger share of economic activity into the formal financial sector.
Looking ahead, the future of this transformation will depend on several key developments. Chief among them is the introduction of the National Payments Switch, a system designed to accelerate the transfer of funds between customers across different banks via multiple payment channels, enabling faster, more efficient account-to-account transfers.
The National Payments Switch constitutes a fundamental component of Sudan’s future payments infrastructure. Connecting commercial banks through an integrated network will enhance interoperability across the banking sector. This initiative complements the Central Bank’s plans to license payment switching services operated by financial technology (FinTech) companies, enabling these firms to connect banks to the national platform while providing innovative electronic payment solutions.
Such integration has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of the banking sector by transforming isolated banking systems into an interconnected financial ecosystem that processes transactions more rapidly while offering greater convenience and flexibility to customers and merchants alike.
The expansion of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals will also be a decisive factor in the next phase of development. As electronic payment facilities become more widely available in shops, markets and commercial establishments, merchants will be increasingly able to accept digital payments. This, in turn, is likely to strengthen their confidence in maintaining funds within the banking system rather than holding large volumes of cash outside the formal financial sector.
Greater confidence among merchants in banking services would have positive implications for the wider economy. Bank accounts could evolve from simple repositories of funds into essential tools for managing sales, purchases, cash flow, and commercial obligations.
Increasing transaction limits for electronic payments will likewise play an important role in expanding digital adoption, particularly among businesses requiring higher-value financial transactions. The higher the permitted transfer and payment thresholds, the more practical electronic banking becomes for day-to-day commercial operations.
Similarly, the restoration and expansion of the electronic cheque clearing system could provide an additional boost to commercial activity by accelerating cheque processing and improving payment settlement efficiency. This could gradually restore confidence in cheques as a reliable payment guarantee for commercial transactions, particularly when combined with higher transaction limits and more sophisticated banking controls.
Looking towards 2027 and 2028, digital transaction volumes are expected to continue to grow, particularly if the integration of electronic transfers, the National Payments Switch, POS networks, electronic clearing systems, and financial technology services is successfully completed.
Should current growth rates continue, Sudan could witness a substantial expansion in digital banking over the next two years—not only in transaction volumes but also in broader applications and the integration of new commercial and service sectors into the formal banking system.
Nevertheless, the success of this transformation will depend upon overcoming several important challenges. These include ensuring the reliability of digital infrastructure, improving telecommunications services, protecting financial transactions from cyber fraud, and promoting digital financial literacy among users.
Ultimately, Sudan’s banking digital transformation represents far more than a simple shift from cash to mobile applications. It marks a fundamental restructuring of how money is managed throughout the economy.
Its success will ultimately be measured by its ability to draw commercial activity into formal financial channels, strengthen confidence in the banking sector, and transform digital financial services into a genuine engine of sustainable economic growth.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=15403