Jamaica’s planned exit from cheques reaches the Supreme Court today, with an October 7 hearing scheduled in a challenge to the Bank of Jamaica’s staged phase-out of Jamaican-dollar cheque processing.

The transition is already under way. Since September 1, 2026, cheques valued at J$1 million or more have not been processed through the national clearing system. The threshold is due to fall to J$500,000 on March 1, 2027, then J$100,000 on September 1, 2027. Cheque negotiation is scheduled to end in March 2028.

Pastor Jeffrey Shuttleworth and Bishop Basil Hanson filed in the Supreme Court’s Civil Division on September 28, seeking permission to bring judicial review proceedings. Represented by attorney Hugh Wildman, they named BOJ Governor Dr Brian Langrin and the Bank of Jamaica as respondents.

The applicants want the policy declared illegal, irrational, null and void, then quashed and halted. Their case argues that the Bank went beyond the power granted by Section 27 of the Bank of Jamaica Act. It also alleges that moving transactions toward electronic channels unfairly disadvantages people who still depend on cheques under Jamaica’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.

Those claims remain allegations before the court. No judge has ruled that the Bank acted unlawfully. Still, the challenge matters for businesses, churches and families whose payment routines remain tied to paper. The court’s handling of the case could influence both the pace and legal shape of Jamaica’s digital-payment transition.

Source: Jamaica Homes News