Since the 2011 Jasmine Revolution, Tunisia has not only developed fundamentally at the domestic level, but also in its external relations. New and old alliances, a broadening of relations, and new forms of civil society activism – alongside Tunisia’s growing presence in international organisations – certify that the country has the potential to play an increasingly central role regionally…
Tunisia’s rank in the World Bank “Doing Business” index was 88th among 190 economies in 2018, down from 77th in 2017 and 75th in 2016. While substantial barriers to investment remain, due in part to persisting malpractices and the uncertainty since the country’s revolution of 2011, the government is working towards improving key factors such as the stability of the tax system and the…
The Tunisian dinar is pegged to a weighted basket of currencies, which includes the dollar and yen, but is dominated by the euro. In recent years, however, the government has introduced greater flexibility within the exchange-rate regime, in line with the IMF’s calls to do so. This has led to a significant devaluation of the country’s currency, from €1:TD1.91 at the end of 2010 to €1:TD2.94…
While the number of debit cards and credit cards in circulation has increased in recent years, obstacles to electronic payments remain, particularly in Tunisia’s in-land governorates, which suffer from limited banking services. Other factors, such as a cultural bias against banks and electronic payments, contribute to relatively low banking penetration across the country. Part of the solution…
Since 2010 retail lending has been growing faster than total lending in Tunisia, indicating a change in consumption patterns within the population despite a broader context of slow economic growth. In addition, banks – which continue to dominate the financial system and lending to the economy – have been adjusting their credit risk-control measures in recent years, following the leadership…
In the 20 years since the Tunisian market opened to foreign investors in 1997, the bourse has seen limited interventions. At the end of September 2017 around 24% of market capitalisation was held by international investors; however, if those figures are adjusted with the strategic participation of the Castel Group in brewery Société de Fabrication des Boissons de Tunisie (SFBT), or French…
The Tunis Stock Exchange (Bourse des Valeurs Mobilières de Tunis, BVMT) is the local stock market, and although it was originally established in 1969 as a public entity, it has been a private entity since 1994, jointly and equally owned by 23 brokerage firms. The BVMT’s primary tracking tool is the Tunindex. Launched at the end of 1997, it is a capitalisation-weighted index with the weight…
Despite their significant presence in the Tunisian economy, SMEs continue to face difficulties in financing their development. Aware of these challenges, the authorities are looking to provide SMEs with alternative sources of financing outside of the banking sector, which has been limited in its ability to finance such enterprises. To this end, the Tunis Stock Exchange (Bourse des Valeurs Mobilières…
Historically dominated by the motor segment, the sector is now aiming to further develop its varied products and distribution channels, particularly life insurance, takaful (Islamic insurance), bancassurance and micro-insurance, with the goal of doubling its GDP contribution to 4% between 2017 and 2022. “The insurance sector has various roles to play in the development of the local economy,…
A developed port infrastructure has been critical in allowing Tunisia to create a place for itself in international commerce. Roughly 98% of Tunisian trade goes through its port network, but lack of investment has made parts of the infrastructure inefficient, a situation authorities are seeking to reverse through a set of ambitious investment programmes targeting seaports along the country’s…
