Saudi Arabia’s central bank (SAMA) announced the launch of Google Pay in the Kingdom during the Money20/20 Middle East event in Riyadh. The move, aligned with Vision 2030, aims to expand financial inclusion and raise cashless transactions to 70% by 2025.
SAMA also signed an agreement with Ant International to enable Alipay+ payments by 2026, with both initiatives leveraging the national payment network, mada. Visitors using international wallets linked to Alipay+ will be able to make secure payments in Saudi stores.
SAMA Governor Ayman Al-Sayari highlighted that the Kingdom’s fintech sector has grown from 82 firms in 2022 to 281 by August 2025, attracting around SR9 billion ($2.39B) in cumulative investments. He said electronic payments now make up 79% of retail transactions, with volumes hitting 12.6B in 2024, up from 10.8B the year before.
Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan noted the Saudi financial market has surpassed SR2.4 trillion and is integrating AI tools to strengthen competitiveness.
These developments reinforce Saudi Arabia’s status as a global leader in digital payments and fintech innovation.