Currency Transactions Enhance Economic Competitiveness and Expand Investment and Innovation Horizons
At the beginning of this year, the Office of Foreign Exchange initiated the implementation of the new general publication regarding currency transactions for 2026. This move aims to simplify international operations and enhance the competitiveness of economic stakeholders, with a particular focus on supporting innovation and stimulating investment, especially for start-ups in modern technologies. It also seeks to align currency allocations with the needs for travel abroad.
The Office clarified that these measures are part of a strategic vision aimed at promoting the opening of the national economy to its international environment and facilitating currency transactions in line with the requirements for growth and investment.
In this context, the new publication allows start-ups classified by the Digital Development Agency in the modern technology sector to invest abroad up to 10 million dirhams annually, exempting them from the requirement of having three years of activity or providing audited accounts. Additionally, the ceiling for e-commerce allocations for this group has been raised to two million dirhams, up from one million dirhams previously.
On the other hand, the publication grants resident investors the ability to provide asset and liability guarantees for non-residents when transferring shares. It also allows foreigners residing in the country to transfer their investment income, exceeding ten years in duration, up to two million dirhams annually, even in the absence of justifications for funding in foreign currency. They can also benefit from the same personal and medical travel allocations granted to Moroccans.
Regarding the import and export system, the publication enables exporters with international contracts to supply their accounts with foreign currency or convertible dirhams up to 15 percent of the total contract value. The procedures for settling service imports have also been simplified, allowing payments for goods on behalf of factoring and collection companies, while removing exclusive lists of authorized transactions for banks.
Concerning professional travel, the publication has raised the ceiling for professional travel allocations for entities without foreign currency accounts to one million dirhams, and to one and a half million dirhams for classified operators. As for personal travel, the total ceiling has been set at 500,000 dirhams annually, including a basic allocation of 100,000 dirhams, along with an additional allocation of up to 400,000 dirhams calculated based on 30 percent of the income tax paid.
The publication also established a minimum annual allocation for e-commerce of 50,000 dirhams for newly established or tax-exempt companies, raising the ceiling for e-commerce allocations for individuals and Moroccans residing abroad to 20,000 dirhams, up from 15,000 dirhams.
For Moroccans living abroad, the publication introduced greater flexibility regarding mortgage loans in dirhams, allowing them to purchase an unlimited number of properties without restrictions, and increasing the bank loan coverage rate to 80 percent of the property’s value, up from 70 percent previously.
In the context of enhancing hedging tools, the Office of Foreign Exchange has expanded the possibility of using compensation mechanisms to cover various currency risk, interest rate fluctuations, and commodity price volatility. The ceiling for transferring study abroad living expenses has also been raised to 15,000 dirhams monthly, up from 12,000 dirhams.
