Kuwait bans cash payments over $32 for health and sport

Kuwait has made it compulsory that transactions for services valued over KD10 ($32) must be made using digital transactions and not cash.

The move aims to prohibit cash transactions and force the use of banking channels and e-payment methods, the state-run Kuna news agency reported, quoting a decision by commerce and industry minister Osama Boodai.

The decision applies to institutions and companies operating in the health sector, salons, sports clubs and gyms, medical pest and rodent control companies and public health, pesticide import, export and storage.

Violators will be threatened with being shut down or face legal action, the report said. 

Digital payment adoption in Kuwait has reduced cash to just 30 percent of everyday spending, Visa’s country manager for Kuwait, Mohammad Reyad, told Kuna in February 2026.

Further reading:

• Kuwait bans cash deals in precious metals trade
• Kuwait seeks public help to curb financial crimes
• Financial crime watchdog puts Kuwait on grey list

In December Kuwait banned cash transactions at shops dealing in gold, precious stones and precious metals to combat money laundering and boost transparency.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) added Kuwait to its so-called grey list in February, placing the Gulf state alongside a number of other Middle East and North African jurisdictions under increased monitoring for money-laundering and terrorist-financing risks.

The decision to monitor Kuwait was taken at the global watchdog’s plenary meeting in Mexico, extending closer international scrutiny of the country’s financial system.