# Fawran
> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/fawran
> research date 2026-06-04 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards
Specifications:
- [QCB Launches 'FAWRAN' Instant Payment Service — Qatar News Agency](https://www.qna.org.qa/en/News-Area/News/2024-03/07/0036-qcb-launches-'fawran'-instant-payment-service)
- [Fawran facilitates over 5mn transactions worth QR10bn since launch — The Peninsula](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/30/04/2025/fawran-facilitates-over-5mn-transactions-worth-qr10bn-since-launch)
## Overview
**Fawran** is Qatar's national **instant (real-time) payment service**, operated by the **Qatar Central Bank (QCB)** and launched in March 2024. It enables 24/7 immediate transfers between bank accounts of individuals and businesses, using **alias identifiers** — such as a mobile phone number — in place of full IBANs, with funds available "within moments" [1][1]. Fawran is an instant *rail*; its merchant/online-acceptance layer is delivered through Qatar's national e-commerce gateway **QPay**, while a QR-based person-to-merchant (P2M) experience sits at the emerging/roadmap stage rather than a separately documented live QR scheme [4][4][5][5]. It complements QCB's earlier national mobile-payment switch, **QMP (Qatar Mobile Payment)**, and the QCB unified QR specifications [../countries/QA-qatar.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/QA).
## History
QCB announced in February 2024 that it would launch Fawran in March, and **officially launched the service on 7 March 2024** [1][1]. The launch was positioned within Qatar's **third financial-sector strategy**, with QCB Assistant Governor Sheikh Ahmed bin Khalid Al-Thani citing "latest technologies and security standards" [1][1]. Six banks went live first: **Qatar National Bank, Commercial Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Ahli Bank, Dukhan Bank and Doha Bank**, with other banks following [1][1]. In October 2024, Fawran was extended to online retail via the national e-commerce gateway QPay, with Doha Bank the first participant offering Fawran through QPay [4][4]. Fawran builds on QCB's earlier payment infrastructure — the QMP national switch (2020) and the QCB unified QR specifications [../countries/QA-qatar.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/QA).
## Technical specification
- **Type.** Domestic real-time instant-payment rail; transfers complete in near-real time, available **24/7 without interruption** [1][1][5][5].
- **Addressing / aliases.** Payments can be directed using a **mobile phone number, a custom alias/nickname, or IBAN**, abstracting away full account details; senders must **verify the beneficiary's name** before completing a transfer [1][1][5][5].
- **Request-to-pay.** The service includes request-to-pay functionality, and supports card-free local online payments through QPay [4][4][5][5].
- **Limits.** QCB set a maximum of **QR 50,000 per transaction**, subject to future review; individual banks may set lower limits based on customer risk profile [1][1]. Reported daily limits vary by bank, in a range of roughly **QAR 5,000 to QAR 400,000** [5][5].
- **Fees.** Reported pricing is around **QAR 0.50 for transfers up to QAR 1,000 and QAR 2 above that** [5][5].
- **Finality.** Confirmed Fawran transfers are stated to be **non-reclaimable** after confirmation [5][5].
## Use cases
- **P2P transfers:** immediate person-to-person transfers using a phone number or alias instead of an IBAN [1][1].
- **Business / commercial transfers:** immediate transfers involving business accounts [1][1].
- **Online retail (P2M):** card-free payment at local e-commerce sites via QPay integration — a merchant-acceptance use case beyond pure interbank transfer [4][4][5][5].
## Implementations
Initial participating banks were QNB, Commercial Bank, QIB, Ahli Bank, Dukhan Bank and Doha Bank, delivered through their **mobile banking applications and digital channels** [1][1]. Merchant acceptance via QPay requires merchants to register for Fawran; at the October 2024 QPay rollout Doha Bank was the sole participating acquirer, with others expected to follow [4][4]. Several Qatari banks (e.g. Dukhan Bank, Ahli Bank) and foreign banks operating locally (e.g. HSBC Qatar) now expose Fawran in their apps [5][5].
## Comparison
- **vs Saudi Arabia's [SARIE](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/sarie):** SARIE (Saudi Central Bank, launched 2021) is the regional template — a 24/7 instant rail using mobile number / email / national ID aliases on ISO 20022, instant credit for transfers under SAR 20,000 [6][6]. Fawran follows the same alias-based instant-rail pattern with a QR 50,000 ceiling and beneficiary-name verification [1][1][6][6].
- **vs UAE Aani and Bahrain Fawri+:** Aani (Al Etihad Payments, launched October 2023) explicitly offers proxy payments, QR-code-based payments, request-to-pay and split payments up to AED 50,000; Bahrain's Fawri+ (2015) likewise supports mobile-number / IBAN / QR transfers [6][6]. Compared with Aani and Fawri+, Fawran's documented surface emphasises alias and request-to-pay/QPay e-commerce, with QR-at-merchant less prominently specified in QCB materials [1][1][4][4][6][6].
- These are all **national instant rails**, distinct from the cross-border settlement layer [AFAQ](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/afaq) / [Buna](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/buna).
## Status
**Live** and growing. As of **30 April 2025**, QCB reported Fawran had facilitated **over 5.5 million transactions worth more than QR 10.1 billion since launch**, with average transaction value up ~28% and average volume up ~31%; **2.7 million individual accounts and ~99,000 corporate accounts** were registered [2][2]. QCB characterised the figures as reflecting "the success of the system and its adoption by customers" [2][2].
## Sources
[1]: https://www.qna.org.qa/en/News-Area/News/2024-03/07/0036-qcb-launches-'fawran'-instant-payment-service
[2]: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/30/04/2025/fawran-facilitates-over-5mn-transactions-worth-qr10bn-since-launch
[3]: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/19/02/2024/qatar-central-bank-to-launch-instant-payment-services-in-march
[4]: https://www.gulf-times.com/article/693005/business/qcb-fawran-payment-service-now-through-qpay
[5]: https://www.lightspark.com/knowledge/instant-payments-qatar
[6]: https://www.itp.net/news/how-instant-payments-in-the-gcc-can-drive-digital-transformation
[1] [QCB Launches 'FAWRAN' Instant Payment Service](https://www.qna.org.qa/en/News-Area/News/2024-03/07/0036-qcb-launches-'fawran'-instant-payment-service) — Qatar News Agency, 2024
[2] [Fawran facilitates over 5mn transactions worth QR10bn since launch](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/30/04/2025/fawran-facilitates-over-5mn-transactions-worth-qr10bn-since-launch) — The Peninsula, 2025
[3] [Qatar Central Bank to launch instant payment services in March](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/19/02/2024/qatar-central-bank-to-launch-instant-payment-services-in-march) — The Peninsula, 2024
[4] [QCB 'Fawran' payment service now through QPay](https://www.gulf-times.com/article/693005/business/qcb-fawran-payment-service-now-through-qpay) — Gulf Times, 2024
[5] [Instant Payments Qatar: Rails, Fees, and the Lightning Network](https://www.lightspark.com/knowledge/instant-payments-qatar) — Lightspark, 2026
[6] [How instant payments in the GCC can drive digital transformation](https://www.itp.net/news/how-instant-payments-in-the-gcc-can-drive-digital-transformation) — ITP.net, 2024
## Deployments
_No country reports mention this standard by name._