Saudi consumers are rapidly reducing their reliance on cash as digital payments expand across everyday sectors, from grocery shopping to entertainment and electronic gaming. The shift is being driven by a young population, widespread smartphone adoption, and increasingly advanced payments infrastructure. Grocery shopping is emerging as one of the sectors benefiting most from this transformation. Digital spending in the sector grew by 18 percent over the past year, while spending on electronic gaming has surpassed global averages, pointing to the expanding reach of the digital economy and changing consumption patterns in the Kingdom. The total value of digital transactions across the Gulf countries is expected to grow at an annual rate of 8.7 percent between 2024 and 2028, reaching $178 billion, according to Oxford Business Group (OBG). This growth comes amid wider adoption of digital wallets, money-transfer applications, and cashless payment methods. Against this backdrop, Mohamed Nana, Mastercard's Senior Vice President for Digital Partnerships in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told Asharq Al-Awsat that this growth is being driven by the digital transformation visions adopted by countries across the region. He also pointed to the launch of Buna, the Arab regional payments system, which is fully owned by the Arab Monetary Fund and supported by Arab central banks. The system aims to reshape cross-border payments and strengthen economic integration both regionally and globally. Nana said Mastercard has made its Mastercard Move money-transfer solutions available through Buna, in what he described as the first collaboration of its kind between the public and private sectors. In Saudi Arabia, he said, the company is focused on supporting the growth of the digital economy through technology, secure payments infrastructure, and local partnerships. Saudi Consumers Expand Their Digital Payment Use Nana said the adoption of a broader range of digital payment methods is accelerating in Saudi Arabia. In addition to becoming familiar with solutions such as digital wallets, money-transfer applications, biometric identification, and installment-payment services, consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable using them in their everyday lives. They are also turning to more diverse ways of shopping, including through voice assistants and social media platforms. He said the continuing shift away from cash is being driven by a young, tech-savvy population and widespread smartphone penetration. Speed, security, convenience, and a seamless payment experience are among the main factors encouraging consumers to adopt digital payments. Maintaining this momentum, he added, requires giving consumers confidence in new payment methods through secure technologies and an interconnected digital payments ecosystem. Grocery shopping stands out among the Saudi sectors that have experienced notable growth in digital payment use. The sector recorded annual growth of 18 percent over the past year, driven by the expansion of digital platforms, promotional pricing, delivery services, and integration with mobile devices. Nana said the fashion and electronics sectors have also recorded strong performance, while digital spending on electronic gaming exceeds global averages. This reflects the strength of Saudi Arabia's esports economy, which is valued at $1 billion and is being developed under the National Gaming and Esports Strategy. Local Infrastructure for Electronic Payment Processing Alongside growing demand for digital payments, Mastercard is developing local infrastructure for processing electronic transactions in Saudi Arabia. Nana said the company, under the auspices of the Saudi Central Bank, SAMA, has launched technology infrastructure inside the Kingdom, powered by Mastercard Gateway, allowing e-commerce transactions to be processed locally. He added that Mastercard Gateway has become part of Mastercard Merchant Solutions, a payments platform that brings together the company's services to help businesses manage their commerce operations. He noted that Mastercard received certification last December allowing it to process electronic transactions through SAMA's new e-commerce payment interface. Artificial Intelligence Nana said artificial intelligence has been a core part of Mastercard's ecosystem for nearly two decades. It helps make every digital experience more secure, intelligent, and personalized for consumers and businesses, while improving efficiency for customers and partners. In Saudi Arabia, AI is a key component of the company's strategic collaboration with Riyadh Air, which aims to redefine the travel experience across multiple customer touchpoints. It is also central to the work of Mastercard's Cyber Resilience Center in Riyadh, strengthening its ability to detect and respond to sophisticated cyber threats and fraud attempts. Data to Help Attract Visitors Last August, the Saudi Tourism Authority and Mastercard signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in supporting the growth of the Kingdom's tourism sector and strengthening Saudi Arabia's position as a global tourism destination. The partnership involves campaigns and initiatives aimed at attracting international visitors from target markets, supporting the Kingdom's goal of receiving 150 million visitors by 2030. Nana said the partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority uses Mastercard data and insights to segment visitor groups, analyze spending, monitor travel trends, measure the impact of events, and conduct predictive analytics. These capabilities help inform marketing strategies and policy development. He added that the company's goal is to design global campaigns and initiatives to attract international travelers from target markets, in conjunction with the Priceless platform, which promotes unique cultural experiences across the Kingdom.
