News

Google Pay To Arrive In Saudi Arabia In 2025

The debut aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and supports the country’s push towards a cashless economy and rapid digital growth.

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2025

Nour Nasir

google pay to arrive in saudi arabia in 2025

Google Pay will officially debut in Saudi Arabia in 2025, thanks to a new agreement between the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and Google. The digital wallet will seamlessly integrate with mada, the Kingdom’s national payment network.

This move ties into SAMA’s broader push to enhance Saudi Arabia’s digital payments landscape, a cornerstone of Vision 2030 — an ambitious initiative aimed at reducing the economy’s reliance on oil. By introducing secure, world-class digital payment systems, the central bank aims to lower cash usage and build a more robust digital payments infrastructure.

Once launched, Google Pay will offer Saudi users a streamlined way to shop in-store, online, and through apps, while also letting them manage their cards via Google Wallet. The growing popularity of card payments in the Kingdom reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to encourage a cashless society through advanced electronic payment solutions.

Saudi Arabia has set an ambitious target of reaching 70% non-cash transactions by 2030, with programs like SARIE playing a vital role in this transformation. Such initiatives, backed by government support and private partnerships, are helping drive the Kingdom toward greater adoption of digital payments.

Also Read: A Guide To Digital Payment Methods In The Middle East

The country’s digital payments market is projected to grow by 6.96% annually from 2025 to 2028, reaching $87.14 billion by 2028, according to Statista.

Progress is already evident: SAMA reports that by 2023, 70% of all retail consumer payments were made electronically, a jump from 62% in 2022. This milestone also serves as a key performance indicator (KPI) for the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP), which aims to modernize the Kingdom’s financial system.

Related Topics:FinTech Google Google Pay Saudi Arabia

Up Next

Daleel Expands To UAE, Tapping Into $44B Finance Market

Don't Miss

COVVI Unveils Cutting-Edge Robotic Hand Technology

Click to comment

News

For etisalat, More Bandwidth Is A Matter Of Digital Sovereignty

The etisalat group plans to expand its international capacity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, with new routes designed for speed and resilience.

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2026

Nour Nasir

for etisalat, more bandwidth is a matter of digital sovereignty

Emirates News Agency

By 2030, etisalat group plans to lift its international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps), more than 25 times the 20 Tbps it has today. The group presented the expansion as preparation for rising AI demand and an important move for the UAE’s digital sovereignty.

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch of the project, which covers the UAE and international markets. Sheikh Mansour is also Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, etisalat group’s main shareholder.

He emphasized the role of coordinated national efforts in advancing the UAE’s AI and digital economy ambitions. “AI is a central pillar in our development journey moving forward,” he said, adding that developing the country’s digital capabilities would empower every institution, public and private, to build and innovate with AI “at the scale the coming decade will demand”.

“This project reflects our conviction that the UAE should not simply adopt AI, but govern it and build with it,” said H.E Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman of etisalat group. “That requires digital infrastructure at a scale that would prepare us for the future”. He cast greater international connectivity as a strategic answer to the challenges of processing and moving data globally.

Also Read: RØDE’s Low-Profile Studio Arm Is Designed To Stay Out Of Shot

Beyond raw bandwidth, the expansion will introduce new connectivity routes intended to improve reliability and efficiency, and Alzaabi tied them directly to the sovereignty goal. “Delivered through diversified routes and low-latency design, the project is set to keep the country’s connection to the global digital economy fast, direct and resilient, while ensuring the UAE’s digital sovereignty,” he said.

He also linked the plan to the group’s 50-year commitment to building infrastructure for the nation. The announcement didn’t mention what the expansion will cost. Nor did it name the new routes or say who will build them, the details that would show what digital sovereignty means in practice.