BIAT Drives Tunisia’s Banking Growth Via Digital and Green Focus

Elyes Jebir, CEO of Banque Internationale Arabe De Tunisie (BIAT), speaks with Global Finance about growth and innovation at Tunisia’s largest private bank. Jebir discusses resilience, innovation and new cross-border opportunities as Tunisia’s economy steadies.

Global Finance: How is the Tunisian banking sector performing, and what is your outlook for the future?

Elyes Jebir: Despite an international context still marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and recent developments in the Middle East, results for 2023, 2024, and the first half of 2025 demonstrate the resilience of Tunisian banks. On the domestic front, Tunisia has recently enacted new legislation, most notably around the use of cheques, that should encourage the adoption of instant payments, transfers, and digital solutions.

Growth isn’t very high, and lending activity remains weak. Given that 60%-70% of Tunisian banks’ net banking income derives from intermediation margins, muted credit growth has a systemic impact. Nevertheless, banks have delivered strong results, and we have even seen upgrades in their ratings by agencies.

GF: So, the outlook is generally positive?

Jebir: Yes, I believe we can expect progress in Tunisia’s next reviews, which would have a positive knock-on effect for banks’ ratings. This would enable us to expand further internationally without being constrained. It is important to stress that we are not operating in a closed environment. We are highly outward-looking. We are also convinced that investment in digitalization will significantly benefit both banks and clients, enabling us to conduct our business in fundamentally new ways.

GF: Which banking products offer the greatest growth potential in Tunisia?

Jebir: Innovation is at the heart of our strategy for the coming years. We are developing a wide range of digital solutions for both retail and corporate clients. At the same time, we are reshaping our branch network to transform our outlets into advisory and expertise centers, providing added value beyond the traditional services of a bank.

In terms of lending, new opportunities are emerging with the green economy. Tunisia has a national program supporting renewable energy, which offers significant investment potential. Beyond financial returns, we firmly believe this transition is essential. There is also momentum around the blue economy, linked to the sea, where many opportunities remain untapped.

Another major challenge lies in new environmental standards. Many Tunisian SMEs work with European partners and, in order to continue exporting—and, indeed to survive—they must invest in reducing their carbon footprint. A regulatory timeline has already been set; it starts in 2026, and banks will play a critical role in supporting this shift. At BIAT, we have identified clients facing this challenge and are helping them adapt so they can remain competitive within the export community.

On the retail side, the Tunisian diaspora represents a particularly dynamic market. The demographic has changed significantly in recent years: today it consists largely of qualified professionals and executives based in the Gulf, Europe, or Canada. While many intend to return one day, in the meantime, they send considerable remittances to their families in Tunisia. These transfers grow in volume every year, making this a highly attractive segment. Through the digitalization of our services, we are striving to make transfers faster and more cost-effective, while also responding to other needs of the diaspora. For instance, many are interested in acquiring property in Tunisia, so we organize events with developers at the bank to create a space for dialogue around such projects.

GF: Do you have plans for international expansion?

Jebir: We currently operate a subsidiary in Paris, which facilitates transfers of remittances. We also maintain a representative office in Tripoli, Libya, to support bilateral trade. Many Tunisian SMEs export to Libya and vice versa, and this sector holds strong growth potential.

As for further expansion, we are actively evaluating opportunities—it could be in other French cities or major Gulf capitals where Tunisians have high purchasing power, though the format of such ventures is still under consideration.