In short: On 26 April 2026 Kuwait’s Insurance Regulatory Unit issued Resolution No. (32) of 2026. It bars everyone under IRU supervision from making or accepting any cash transactions. Payments and collections must go through banking and electronic channels approved by the Central Bank of Kuwait. Individual documents issued and used at border crossing points are excluded.
Key facts
| Authority | Insurance Regulatory Unit (IRU), State of Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Instrument | Resolution No. (32) of 2026 concerning the Prohibition of Cash Transactions for Persons Subject to the Supervision of the Insurance Regulatory Unit |
| Issue date | 26 April 2026 |
| Effective date | From the date of issue, 26 April 2026 (Article Three). No transition period is stated |
| Applies to | All persons subject to IRU supervision. The resolution does not list the categories |
| Status | In force No later amendment or cancellation found in the IRU publications listing or the Official Gazette (checked to 14 October 2026) |
| Official source | https://www.iru.gov.kw/Publications (full text: https://www.iru.gov.kw/website/post/00000/00000433_dcvvdylf4h3hw.pdf) |
| Last verified | 14 October 2026, against the IRU publications page, the resolution text and the Official Gazette |
What does the resolution require?
Resolution No. (32) of 2026 is a short decision of the Insurance Regulatory Unit (IRU), issued by the chair of its Supreme Committee. It is a plain prohibition on cash for the entities the IRU supervises.
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A payment or collection by a person subject to IRU supervision
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Is it a cash transaction?
Making or accepting, under the prohibition
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The prohibition (Article One)
All persons subject to IRU supervision are prohibited, under Article (2) of Law No. (125) of 2019 on the regulation of insurance, from making or accepting any cash transactions.
Approved channels only (Article One)
All payment and collection operations must run through services provided over banking and electronic payment channels approved by the Central Bank of Kuwait, in compliance with its instructions.
One exclusion (Article One)
Individual documents issued and used at border crossing points are excluded from the prohibition.
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Entry into force (Article Three)
The resolution applies from the date it was issued, 26 April 2026, and is to be published in the Official Gazette.
What is it based on?
The preamble cites Law No. (125) of 2019 on the regulation of insurance, with its Executive Regulations and amendments, and Law No. (32) of 1968 on money, the Central Bank of Kuwait and the organisation of the banking profession. It also cites Law No. (106) of 2013 on combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
The preamble further cites Resolution No. (34) of 2025 on the rules for issuing a civil liability insurance policy for non-Kuwaiti vehicles arriving across land borders. The resolution text does not link that rule to the border exclusion. The IRU’s own news item of 29 April 2026 does: it says the excluded documents are the individual policies issued at the border for non-Kuwaiti vehicles entering Kuwait. The IRU also describes the resolution as extending earlier cash restrictions to all insurance policies.
Who is affected?
Every person subject to the supervision of the IRU. The resolution does not list categories, and the IRU’s news item speaks of all entities under its supervision. In our reading, insurers and any other entity you know the IRU supervises should therefore treat themselves as covered; the resolution names no category. If you are unsure whether you are supervised, check your licence or registration with the IRU.
The ban runs both ways: a supervised person may neither make nor accept cash. The resolution does not define “cash transactions”. The table below sets out our reading of where the words “any cash transactions” would reach.
| Touchpoint | Cash direction |
|---|---|
| Premium collection at counters | Accepting cash |
| Premium collection through agents | Accepting cash |
| Claims payments | Making cash payments |
| Refund payments | Making cash payments |
| Expenses or commissions paid in notes | Making cash payments |
What should supervised entities do next?
The resolution has applied since 26 April 2026 and states no grace period. The five steps below are practical advice, not requirements of the resolution. If any cash still moves through your business, close that gap first.
- Map every cash touchpoint.For example counters, branches, agents and brokers, claims offices and petty cash.
- Move to approved channels.Collect and pay only through services on channels approved by the Central Bank of Kuwait, and check each channel’s approval and instructions.
- Rewrite contracts and scripts.Update agent and broker agreements, customer terms and front-line scripts so staff can decline cash.
- Handle the border exclusion narrowly.Apply it only to individual documents issued and used at border crossing points, and record each use.
- Reconcile and keep evidence.Finance teams should be able to show that collections and payments reconcile to bank and electronic channel records, and keep the resolution on file.
Effective date and current status
The IRU Publications page lists the resolution with the date 26-04-2026. The Official Gazette (Kuwait Alyoum) carried the resolution in issue 1789 of 3 May 2026.
We checked the IRU publications listing on 14 October 2026. Its latest decision is dated 15 September 2026 and its latest circular 11 October 2026. We read the later circulars and decisions, and none amends, replaces or cancels Resolution No. (32) of 2026 or mentions cash. The Official Gazette index for IRU decisions from 20 April to 14 October 2026 shows no amending decision either. Confirm the current official text before you act.
Frequently asked questions
Are cash transactions banned for entities supervised by Kuwait’s IRU?
Yes. Resolution No. (32) of 2026 prohibits all persons subject to IRU supervision from making or accepting any cash transactions (Article One). Payments and collections must go through banking and electronic payment channels approved by the Central Bank of Kuwait.
Is there any exception to the IRU cash ban?
Article One excludes individual documents issued and used at border crossing points. The resolution states no other exception.
When did the IRU cash prohibition take effect?
It applies from its date of issue, 26 April 2026 (Article Three). The resolution states no transition period.
Has the resolution been amended or replaced?
Not that we found. On 14 October 2026 the IRU publications listing (latest decision 15 September 2026, latest circular 11 October 2026) and the Official Gazette index showed no later decision or circular that amends or cancels Resolution No. (32) of 2026.
Sources (official, verified 14 October 2026)
- Insurance Regulatory Unit (IRU), Publications: decisions, circulars and announcements (Resolution No. (32) of 2026 listed, dated 26-04-2026) https://www.iru.gov.kw/Publications
- IRU, Resolution No. (32) of 2026 concerning the prohibition of cash transactions for persons subject to the supervision of the Insurance Regulatory Unit, full text https://www.iru.gov.kw/website/post/00000/00000433_dcvvdylf4h3hw.pdf
- IRU, news item of 29 April 2026 announcing the cash ban (in Arabic) https://www.iru.gov.kw/NewsDetail/38
- Kuwait Alyoum (Official Gazette), issue 1789 of 3 May 2026, resolutions of the Insurance Regulatory Unit https://kuwaitalyawm.media.gov.kw
- Insurance regulation
- Cash transactions
- Payments and collections
- Central Bank of Kuwait channels
- AML/CFT context
- Insurance Regulatory Unit
- Law No. (125) of 2019
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