Saudi Arabia: 13,000 riyals per second... digital payments via mobile

Coinciding with e-commerce recording record levels, digital payments via mobile phones in Saudi Arabia are witnessing rapid growth, with their value surging by approximately 210% over five years. In July last year, the value reached around 13,100 riyals per second, compared to 4,200 riyals per second in the same month of 2021. According to data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), published yesterday (Tuesday) by the Saudi newspaper Al-Eqtisadiah, the value of payments rose from 6,000 riyals per second in 2022 to 6,900 in 2023, then jumped to 9,900 in 2024, and 11,700 in 2025, reaching 13,100 riyals per second in July last year. According to a financial analysis, these payments equate to approximately 788,000 riyals per minute, 47 million per hour, and more than 1.1 billion riyals daily, with their total for July reaching around 34 billion riyals.