Saudi Arabia's Digital Payments Are Booming! SAMA Reports SAR 14.8 Billion in Weekly Sales

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA)'s weekly report on point-of-sale (POS) operations revealed that sales through POS terminals reached approximately SAR 14.8 billion during the week ending March 21, 2026. This is a slight dip from the SAR 16.1 billion recorded the previous week. The total number of transactions carried out was around 223.9 million, compared to 226.9 million in the week before. These transactions represent what consumers spend using debit and credit cards at shopping centers, retail stores, pharmacies, and other POS locations. The data also shows that sales typically increase during weeks when government salaries are paid, school holidays occur, and in the weeks leading up to Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Conversely, sales tend to slow down in the weeks before salary payments or the start of school after holidays. **Average Sales and Sector Growth** The four-week moving average for POS sales stood at approximately SAR 15.4 billion. Looking at the bigger picture, there's a clear and continuous upward trend in the value of POS sales throughout 2025 compared to previous years. Weekly sales values in 2025 ranged between SAR 11.4 billion and SAR 15.3 billion. This is a nice jump from 2024, which saw values between SAR 11.5 billion and SAR 13.8 billion, and even more impressive compared to 2023 (SAR 10.4 billion to SAR 12.7 billion) and 2022 (SAR 9.4 billion to SAR 11.6 billion). **Spending Breakdown by Sector** For the week ending March 21, the clothing and accessories sector took the largest share of spending, accounting for 15.8% of total sales, or SAR 2.33 billion. Right behind it was the food and beverages sector, with 14.3% of spending, totaling SAR 2.11 billion. **Spending Breakdown by City** Riyadh led the way as the city with the highest sales, hitting approximately SAR 4.70 billion. That's a huge 31.8% of the total POS transaction value! Jeddah followed, with sales reaching SAR 2.18 billion, making up 14.7% of the total. **Electronic Payments and Vision 2030 Success** According to the Saudi Central Bank, electronic payments in the individual retail sector reached an impressive 79% of all transactions in 2024. This is fantastic news because it actually surpasses the target set by the Financial Sector Development Program under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which aimed for 70% by 2025! This rapid growth clearly shows the incredible efforts of the Central Bank and the strategic initiatives put in place to support the digital transformation of payments and encourage the use of various electronic payment methods across the Kingdom.