The Qatar Central Bank has granted Karty a Payment Service Provider (E-money) licence, authorising the Qatari fintech to provide regulated digital payment services in the country. The approval brings the number of fintech companies licensed and supervised by the central bank to 15, according to the regulator.
Licence issued under QCB payment services framework
The licence has been issued under QCB’s Payment Services Regulation, which governs e-money issuance and payment activities in Qatar. Licensed firms are required to meet standards covering governance, capital adequacy, cybersecurity, operational resilience, and consumer protection.
QCB has steadily expanded licensing under this framework as part of its broader financial sector modernisation agenda.
Karty authorised to provide e-money services
Karty is a Qatar-based digital payments and financial management platform. Under the licence, the company is authorised to offer e-money and related payment services, including digital wallets and virtual payment instruments, subject to ongoing regulatory supervision.
The company has focused on consumer-facing digital payments and personal money management tools as Qatar accelerates adoption of cashless transactions.
Number of licensed fintech payment firms reaches 15
With Karty’s approval, the total number of fintech companies licensed by QCB in the payment services segment has reached 15, reflecting the regulator’s incremental approach to market development.
Previously licensed or approved payment providers under QCB supervision include firms such as Dibsy, SkipCash, MyFatoorah, CWallet, Pay2M, Tap Payments, SADAD Payment Solutions, and Noqoody, among others active in merchant acquiring, wallets, and payment gateways.
Approval follows funding, partnerships and compliance milestones
Karty’s licensing follows several operational and regulatory milestones. The company raised USD 1.2 million in a pre-seed round, followed by seed financing exceeding USD 2 million, including participation from Qatar Development Bank.
It has also established partnerships with Visa and Al Rayan Bank, and achieved PCI DSS certification, a global security standard for handling payment card data, prior to receiving regulatory approval.
Digital payments remain a policy priority
The expansion of licensed payment service providers supports Qatar’s push towards wider use of regulated digital payments across consumers, merchants and small businesses. QCB has positioned fintech licensing as a key pillar of financial inclusion, competition and system stability, in line with national digital transformation objectives.
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