COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Visa strengthens its presence through integration with Mada and digital innovation
Visa-branded credit cards operate on the Mada network for both POS and online transactions. When consumers use Visa credit cards issued in Saudi Arabia, the underlying infrastructure is Mada, ensuring domestic interoperability while also maintaining global reach.
Promotional campaigns and customer incentives strengthen issuer competition
SNB has recently announced a campaign in which all holders of SNB credit and cashback cards issued during the campaign period are eligible to participate and win luxury prizes. No card usage is required to participate in the competition.
Premium and Sharia-compliant credit card propositions expand across major banks
ANB is one of the largest Visa Signature issuers in the Kingdom, having launched its premium Visa Signature credit card in early 2025 in strategic partnership with Visa. It provides affluent customers with international lounge access, concierge services and global luxury perks.
American Express expands access through open banking and acceptance growth
American Express has collaborated with Tarabut to expand access to credit by introducing a new open banking-driven experience within its mobile app, with the aim of transforming the process and accessibility of credit for a broader customer segment. The new offering provides American Express customers in Saudi Arabia with a quicker way to request credit limit increases, removing the friction associated with manual processes.
Visa strengthens long-term ecosystem through innovation centre and issuer partnerships
In October 2024, Visa launched its Innovation Centre and expanded its regional office in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District to accelerate digital payment solutions in Saudi Arabia. This facility collaborates with local banks, fintechs, government entities and SMEs to develop AI, biometric, IoT, VR and advanced payment integrations.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Credit Card Transactions industry in Saudi Arabia with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
If you're in the Credit Card Transactions industry in Saudi Arabia, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Credit Card Transactions in Saudi Arabia report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Credit Card Transactions in Saudi Arabia?
- What are the major trends key to understanding Credit Card Transactions in Saudi Arabia?
- How has COVID-19, recession and macroeconomic volatility impacted the market?
- How long will the market take to recover? What are the opportunities now?
- How will political context and shifting cultural values shape future growth?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Charge Cards in Saudi Arabia - Category analysis
Charge Cards in Saudi Arabia - Company Profile
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Aspirational image and new entrants attract interest
Charge card circulation continues to expand alongside premium consumer demand
Transaction volumes increase due to travel and corporate usage
Premium consumer growth and tourism expansion will support charge card transactions
Expansion in merchant acceptance and corporate usage will drive further adoption
Competition from other payment methods and high merchant fees may limit growth
American Express maintains leadership through scale and expanding acceptance
American Express remains the leading issuer, while Al Rajhi expands its presence
Al Rajhi emerges as a key challenger through new product launches
American Express continues to shape the ecosystem, while Mastercard strengthens supporting infrastructure
Credit Cards in Saudi Arabia - Category analysis
Credit Cards in Saudi Arabia - Company Profile
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Flexible payments and regulatory reforms offer bright prospects
SAMA’s updated credit card rules strengthen transparency and support broader acceptance
Credit card usage grows as issuers expand instalments, rewards and Sharia-compliant propositions
Credit cards set to expand further as instalments and travel-led spend support demand
Tourism and premium travel benefits are expected to lift higher-value card spending
Digital wallets accelerate everyday credit card usage through convenience and instant activation
Visa strengthens its presence through integration with Mada and digital innovation
Promotional campaigns and customer incentives strengthen issuer competition
Premium and Sharia-compliant credit card propositions expand across major banks
American Express expands access through open banking and acceptance growth
Visa strengthens long-term ecosystem through innovation centre and issuer partnerships
Debit Cards in Saudi Arabia - Category analysis
Debit Cards in Saudi Arabia - Company Profile
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Government initiatives boost demand
Debit cards in circulation increase as inflation remains moderate and digital payments expand
Mada network and e-commerce expansion support strong debit card transaction growth
Debit card usage set to increase further as Saudi Arabia accelerates transition to cashless economy
Younger consumers and SME adoption support continued debit card growth
Alternative payment methods and digital wallets may moderate long-term debit card growth
Mada remains the dominant operator of debit cards in Saudi Arabia
Major banks strengthen debit card penetration through Mada-linked offerings
SNB leads in scale while Alinma Bank stands out for innovation and digital capabilities
Mada continues to drive innovation and shape the debit card ecosystem
Pre-Paid Cards in Saudi Arabia - Category analysis
Pre-Paid Cards in Saudi Arabia - Company Profile
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Fintech expansion and digital payments boost demand
Prepaid card circulation rises due to financial inclusion and payroll usage
Transaction growth supported by new launches and expanding use cases
Government initiatives and fintech innovation will support transaction growth
Payroll and workforce usage will continue expanding across sectors
Regulatory and competitive pressures may create challenges
STC Bank and fintech players drive open-loop prepaid card growth
Banks expand prepaid card issuance through digital integration and partnerships
Financial Cards and Payments in Saudi Arabia - Industry Overview
Digital developments and e-commerce fuel growth
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Saudi Arabia accelerates transition towards a cashless economy
BNPL services reshape consumer spending behaviour
Digital banks transform the financial services landscape
Mobile wallets accelerate shift to cashless payments
Financial cards set to benefit from fintech expansion and digital adoption
Al Rajhi Bank strengthens position through partnerships and co-branded card launches
Mastercard enhances cyber security and strengthens digital payment ecosystem
Saudi National Bank and Arab National Bank expand partnerships to accelerate payment innovation
Visa and neoleap expand digital payment solutions and SME financial services
Digital wallets and new digital banks accelerate shift towards cashless economy
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Credit Card Transactions
- Commercial Credit Card Transactions
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- Average Personal Credit Card Balance
- Average Personal Credit Card Limit
- Personal Credit Card Utilisation
Credit Card Transactions
Credit cards allow for purchases against a preapproved line of credit. The account holder has the choice of whether to pay off the entire balance each month or opt for monthly instalments with the balance serving as revolving credit. If the cardholder decides to revolve a balance, the consumer pays interest. Credit cards can include affinity cards, reward cards and types of co-branded cards. Co-branded retailer cards—issued by retailers acting as financial institutions and without usage restrictions—are included in this category. Cards issued by a retailer with usage limited to a specific store within a predefined retail group fall under the store cards definition. Debit cards with an overdraft function are not counted as cards with a credit function. Payments are tracked based on the country of residence / account issuance and include outbound spend while excluding inbound spend.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions
This report originates from Passport, our Credit Card Transactions research and analysis database.
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