Saudi Arabia has witnessed a significant surge in digital consumer spending, with the latest data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) revealing that point-of-sale (POS) transactions reached record levels during the week of December 28, 2025, to January 3, 2026. The total number of transactions reached approximately 255,361,000, with a total value exceeding SAR 17,016,822,000, marking a notable increase compared to the previous week, which saw spending of SAR 13,028,075,000.
Digital transformation and Vision 2030
This rapid growth in electronic payment transactions is a direct reflection of the success of the initiatives of the Financial Sector Development Program, one of the pillars of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aims to promote non-cash transactions and raise their percentage to 70% by 2030. This increase in the volume of transactions indicates the growing consumer confidence in the digital payments infrastructure in the Kingdom, and the expansion of the point of sale network to include various commercial and service sectors, which contributes to combating commercial concealment and increasing the transparency of financial transactions.
Spending breakdown by sector
The weekly report revealed varying sector activity, with basic consumer goods and entertainment leading the way. Specifically, the food and beverage sector recorded approximately 57,147,000 transactions totaling over SAR 2.7 billion, followed by the restaurants and cafes sector with 60,568,000 transactions valued at nearly SAR 1.9 billion. The clothing and accessories sector also saw significant activity, with spending reaching SAR 1.6 billion across more than 12 million transactions, a trend likely attributed to the end-of-year sales season.
Regarding the service sectors, the transportation sector recorded over 7 million transactions worth 1.2 billion riyals, while the health sector saw approximately 10.9 million transactions valued at nearly 1 billion riyals. The education sector recorded transactions worth 235 million riyals, and fuel station sales exceeded 1 billion riyals across 17.9 million transactions.
Geographical distribution of spending
Geographically, Riyadh continued to lead the economic landscape, accounting for the largest share of transactions with 79.6 million transactions and a total spending exceeding 5.6 billion riyals, reflecting the capital's economic weight and population density. Jeddah came in second with spending of 2.23 billion riyals across 29.6 million transactions, followed by Dammam with spending of 831 million riyals.
Expected economic impact
This surge in point-of-sale (POS) transaction values carries significant economic implications, serving as a strong indicator of the robust purchasing power of consumers in the Kingdom and the availability of liquidity in the markets. This activity also reflects the dynamism of the retail and services sectors, bolstering non-oil GDP growth. Regionally, these figures position the Kingdom at the forefront of the region in adopting financial technology (FinTech) solutions and accelerating its transition towards a cashless society, attracting further foreign investment in the payments and technology sectors.
