National Payment Council Committed to Raising Awareness of Payment Options
UPDATE Press Release:
WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG — The key outcome of the second meeting of the National Payment Council (NPC) in 2025 was the decision to jointly organize an information session for the business community on innovative payment options. This meeting took place on December 1 in Sint Maarten and on December 9 in Curaçao, at the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS). During the meeting, various other topics related to the payment system were discussed, including local payment card fees, payment fraud, and the further development of Instant Payment functionalities.
A growing number of innovative payment methods are being offered in Curaçao and Sint Maarten, such as payments based on links and QR codes. This is a positive development, as it makes payments fast, convenient, and efficient for consumers and businesses. However, entrepreneurs are not always aware of these developments, which can lead to unnecessary extra costs and reduced ease of payment for customers. For this reason, the members of the NPC have decided to take the initiative to jointly organize an information session for the business community on innovative payment options.
One of the main outcomes of the NPC meetings held in June 2025 was the joint launch of an awareness campaign against payment fraud. New and innovative payment methods entail different types of risks, such as online payment fraud. This type of fraud can result in financial losses and diminished confidence in digital payments. In November 2025, the NPC launched an online campaign to raise awareness about online payment fraud and explain how to respond when confronted with it. Given its importance to society, the NPC has decided to repeat the campaign in 2026.
Finally, developments relating to Instant Payments were also discussed. This technology is currently being used to process local interbank payments in real time. In addition to enabling low cost payments through online stores, in physical stores, and for person-to-person transactions without a payment card, it is also technically possible to provide international instant payments between Curaçao and Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Aruba, and the Netherlands. The CBCS will explore these possibilities in 2026.
The CBCS thanks the NPC members for their active participation in these meetings and looks forward to continuing to work with the NPC to enhance the payment system in Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
