Kuwait banks push to cut ‘Link’ transfer limits amid rise of Wamd payments
A banking debate has emerged in Kuwait over the future of instant financial payment links, amid growing calls within the sector to reduce transfer limits for the “Links” service and expand reliance on the faster-growing “Wamd” platform and electronic payment applications operated through bank portals.
Banking sources revealed that discussions are underway regarding reducing the maximum limit for transfers conducted through “Links” from the current ceiling of 3,000 dinars to significantly lower levels, depending on each bank’s internal policy and customer classification.
In parallel, an initial proposal has also surfaced among some banking circles advocating for the complete suspension of the “Links” service in an effort to narrow its operational scope and shift customers toward “Wamd” and other digital banking applications.
Supporters of the proposal argue that alternative instant payment channels are less costly and involve lower operational and security risks compared to financial links. However, banking sources indicated that the proposal to reduce transaction limits appears more likely to gain traction than a full suspension of the service.
In practice, transfer limits through “Links” and “Flash” services can exceed 3,000 dinars for certain customers, particularly after the Central Bank of Kuwait directed local banks not to rely on a unified maximum ceiling and instead determine limits according to customer requests and the nature of their financial activities.
Nevertheless, prevailing banking practices currently set the maximum limit for a single transaction at approximately 1,000 dinars, while the daily ceiling generally reaches 3,000 dinars.
Monthly transfer limits can rise to 20,000 dinars, with no fixed cap on the number of daily transactions as long as the approved daily and monthly limits are not exceeded.
Sources noted that the proposal to reduce “Links” transfer limits would include both daily and cumulative ceilings.
The minimum transfer value through “Links” remains identical to “Wamd,” starting from 1 dinar per transaction.
Despite the rapid expansion of “Wamd,” which now accounts for more than two-thirds of locally recorded instant transfers in both value and transaction volume, customer behavior data from several banks indicates that “Links” services still retain a strong and influential customer base.
This continuing demand has fueled disagreement within the banking sector between supporters of restricting the service and those opposing any move that could limit customer flexibility or affect competitiveness among banks.
As a result, a wider banking discussion has emerged over the consequences of narrowing the space available for “Links” transfers and the preferred direction for instant payment services licensed by regulatory authorities.
According to the latest figures issued by the Central Bank of Kuwait, transfers through the “Wamd” service during the first quarter of 2026 reached approximately 2.646 billion din ars through 40.382 million transactions.
The service also recorded monthly growth of 5.1 percent in March alone, equivalent to an increase of 43.7 million dinars, bringing the total monthly transfer value to around 897 million dinars through 13.701 million transactions, compared with 853.3 million dinars through 13.133 million transactions in February.
