Delays of one to four minutes will incur a one-dinar penalty per transaction, rising to five dinars for delays between five and 15 minutes. Transactions delayed between 15 and 30 minutes will be fined 10 dinars, while failures exceeding 30 minutes will trigger the maximum penalty of 20 dinars per transaction.


The Central Bank of Kuwait is moving toward a zero-tolerance policy on technical disruptions affecting instant digital payments through the WAMD service, signaling that even minimal delays in execution are no longer acceptable in the country’s fast-expanding digital banking ecosystem.

According to informed sources, the CBK has instructed the Automated Banking Services Company KNET to implement a structured penalty system targeting banks that fail to process customer transfers via the WAMD instant payment platform.

The service, launched in 2024, enables real-time money transfers between bank accounts using mobile numbers across Kuwaiti banks.
The regulatory direction reflects a broader push to ensure that Central Bank of Kuwait achieves a fully seamless, interruption-free digital payments environment, positioning instant transfers as a “way of life” rather than an optional banking feature.

Under the proposed penalty framework, financial fines ranging from one dinar to 20 dinars will be imposed on banks for each failed or delayed transaction, depending on the duration of the technical disruption.

Delays of one to four minutes will incur a one-dinar penalty per transaction, rising to five dinars for delays between five and 15 minutes. Transactions delayed between 15 and 30 minutes will be fined 10 dinars, while failures exceeding 30 minutes will trigger the maximum penalty of 20 dinars per transaction.

Sources indicated that any technical failure within the WAMD system will be immediately detected on the KNET monitoring screens, enabling real-time enforcement of penalties.

However, it remains unclear whether the collected fines will ultimately be transferred to the Central Bank or retained within KNET, a matter currently under discussion among banking sector officials.

The WAMD instant transfer service, which operates 24/7 via mobile banking applications using phone numbers only, has recorded rapid adoption since its launch. Central Bank data shows that transaction volumes reached approximately 2.646 billion dinars across 40.382 million transactions in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting steady month-on-month growth.

In March alone, transaction activity rose by 5.1 percent, while total transfers in the first three months of the year reached 897 million dinars across 13.701 million transactions, compared to 853.3 million dinars in the previous month.

Officials say the introduction of penalties underscores the Central Bank’s broader strategy to strengthen Kuwait’s digital payments infrastructure and improve system resilience, ensuring that instant transfer services remain reliable, efficient, and aligned with the country’s long-term digital transformation goals.

The WAMD platform has quickly become one of the fastest-growing financial services in Kuwait, capturing a significant share of banking users within months of its launch.

The system also now allows users to recover mistaken transfers within seven days via their bank’s application, further enhancing consumer protection and trust in digital banking services.