# DIG Briefing: The Bahamas Ecommerce Payments Landscape

> An executive briefing on how Bahamian businesses can take payments online: the routes, the banks and gateways, what it costs and the rules that apply.

Report · Ecommerce · 2026-10-12 · DIG — Digital Isle Group · https://dig.bs/insights/bahamas-ecommerce-payments

Online payments in The Bahamas works a little differently from most markets. Many of the global shortcuts businesses expect are unavailable, service costs and pricing can be opaque, and the choice of your bank often shapes almost everything that follows. This executive briefing maps the landscape as it stands in October 2026, drawn from publicly available sources.

## Key findings

- **Three routes, one dominant.** A business can accept payments online through a bank merchant account and a payment gateway, through a licensed local wallet, or through a handful of international services. The bank route carries most card volume and is the only one with full Visa and Mastercard acceptance.
- **Two gateways reach the three largest banks.** PowerTranz and Fygaro both work with RBC, Scotiabank and CIBC Caribbean.
- **Prices are mostly private.** No bank publishes its card rates; each is set at application. Among local wallets, only Kanoo publishes a merchant fee.
- **Cards lead, and keep growing.** Bahamians made 34.3 million debit-card payments in 2025, up 19.7%, while active e-money users fell 18.7%. The Sand Dollar remains small, at about B$2.6 million in circulation.
- **The easy international options are closed.** Stripe and Square do not serve The Bahamas. PayPal does, but at about 5.4% per payment plus currency conversion, with no Bahamian-dollar support.
- **The rules are shifting.** Payment-provider regulations are being updated, and a national Fast Payment System is expected in 2027.

## Inside the full report

The eight-page executive briefing sets out:

- a map of the three payment routes and who offers each
- which gateway works with which bank
- how Bahamians pay, according to the latest Central Bank figures
- the five banks’ ecommerce offers side by side
- four gateways compared: PowerTranz, Fygaro, CX Pay and CyberSource
- every published price, and what is not published
- the rules that shape a checkout, and what is coming next
- practical takeaways and the questions to ask your bank

It is written for business owners and leaders planning an online store, portal or payment flow, to provide a clear picture of the Bahamian payments landscape. Download below.