Saudi Arabia’s central bank launches Google Pay and announces Alipay+ acceptance by 2026

In a important measurement toward realizing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced the motorboat of Google Pay and a caller statement with Ant International to present Alipay+ acceptance by 2026.

These developments, unveiled connected September 15 astatine the Money20/20 Middle East league successful Riyadh, purpose to bolster the Kingdom’s fintech infrastructure, accelerate the displacement distant from cash, and grow planetary integer outgo options for consumers and businesses alike.

Google Pay officially launches successful Saudi Arabia

On September 15, 2025, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced the authoritative motorboat of Google Pay successful Saudi Arabia, marking a large summation to the Kingdom’s expanding integer payments ecosystem.

The rollout, enabled done the nationalist outgo network, Mada, was revealed during the Money20/20 Middle East lawsuit astatine the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center successful Mulham.

The integration of Google Pay allows users successful Saudi Arabia to adhd and negociate Mada debit cards arsenic good arsenic integer recognition cards similar Visa and Mastercard straight done the Google Wallet app. Users volition beryllium capable to marque purchases some successful stores utilizing Tap to Pay and soon wrong apps and connected the web.

Security is simply a cardinal diagnostic of the service. Transactions made done Google Pay usage tokenization, replacing existent paper numbers with virtual tokens. Each token is device-specific and comes with a dynamic information codification that changes with each transaction, enhancing outgo security. Beyond payments, Google Wallet besides offers retention for loyalty cards, lawsuit tickets, boarding passes, and different integer items, allowing users to signifier important items successful 1 spot for speedy entree connected their phones. The work is presently supported by Al Rajhi Bank and Riyad Bank, with further banks expected to beryllium onboarded successful phases.

Strategic relation successful Vision 2030 and integer system goals

The motorboat of Google Pay is portion of a broader inaugural by SAMA to fortify Saudi Arabia’s integer infrastructure and trim reliance connected currency transactions. It supports the objectives of some the Financial Sector Development Program and the overarching Vision 2030 strategy. SAMA highlighted that this determination aligns with its ngo to:

According to SAMA, the inaugural not lone modernizes the section outgo acquisition but besides reinforces Saudi Arabia’s positioning arsenic a planetary hub for fintech innovation.

Alipay+ to beryllium accepted successful Saudi Arabia by 2026

Alongside the Google Pay rollout, SAMA besides signed a caller statement with Ant International to alteration Alipay+ acceptance crossed Saudi Arabia by 2026. Alipay+ is simply a planetary cross-border integer outgo solution that allows users to transact utilizing planetary e-wallets astatine section merchants. The statement volition integrate Alipay+ into the Mada infrastructure, enabling visitors to Saudi Arabia to marque unafraid transactions astatine section retail points utilizing their existing planetary integer wallets. This is simply a important improvement for Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to pull much planetary fintech enactment and marque the Kingdom a seamless destination for integer commerce, particularly arsenic it continues to big an expanding fig of planetary visitors and investors.

Fintech sector’s explosive maturation and aboriginal outlook

In his keynote code astatine Money20/20 Middle East, SAMA Governor Ayman Al-Sayari highlighted the accelerated maturation of Saudi Arabia’s fintech industry. Between the extremity of 2022 and August 2025, the fig of progressive fintech companies successful the Kingdom roseate from 82 to 281, marking much than a threefold increase. He besides shared cardinal figures underscoring this momentum:

Al-Sayari emphasized that these figures bespeak some the ambition and capableness for innovation wrong the Kingdom’s fiscal sector, with integer payments forming the backbone of this transformation. Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, besides addressed the audience, highlighting the nation’s fiscal marketplace surpassing SR2.4 trillion ($648 billion) and ongoing efforts to integrate artificial quality tools into fiscal operations, signaling a future-forward absorption for the sector. The Money20/20 Middle East conference, which runs from September 15 to 17, features information from 451 brands, 450 speakers, 1,051 investors, and 157 startups, underscoring the region’s expanding power successful shaping the planetary fintech landscape.