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Saudi Digital Payments Market Attracts Global Investments

Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)
Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)
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Saudi Digital Payments Market Attracts Global Investments

Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)
Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)

Saudi Arabia is pushing to increase digital payments to 70% by 2030, creating significant opportunities for global companies to expand in the region.
According to the Saudi Central Bank, electronic payments in the retail sector grew by 12% in 2023, reaching 70% of total transactions. Cashless transactions hit 10.8 billion, up from 8.7 billion in 2022, driving international companies to establish regional headquarters and capitalize on this growing market.
Nouf Al-Salama, Business Development Manager at PayerMax, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the company has opened a regional office in Saudi Arabia to strengthen its presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
She noted that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are expected to experience rapid growth in e-commerce, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the change. According to CNNB Solutions, both countries are seeing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39% and 38%, respectively.
Federico Pienovi, Head of Commercial Operations for Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania at Argentine company Globant, revealed the company’s ambitions to generate $1 billion in revenue in the Saudi market over the next five years.
He said that Saudi Arabia has been selected as Globant’s regional headquarters, although the company is expanding across the region. With these ambitions, Globant plans to create over 500 local jobs in the coming years, continue its expansion, support national talents, and work on major projects that bring cutting-edge technology innovations to the Kingdom, he underlined.
Mordor Intelligence projects a 15.4% CAGR for Saudi Arabia's payment market between 2022 and 2027, making it one of the most advanced markets transitioning towards a cashless society.
PayerMax estimates the global digital payments market, valued at $7.79 trillion in 2022, will reach $14.77 trillion within five years, driven by the growth of digital wallets, smartphones, and payment technologies. Emerging economies’ rapid smartphone adoption is expected to further fuel this growth.

 

 

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FILE PHOTO: Gold bars are displayed at a gold jewelery shop in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh May 8, 2012. REUTERS/Ajay Verma (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES)/File Photo
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Gold Rises as Fears Mount over Trump's Reciprocal Tariff Plans

FILE PHOTO: Gold bars are displayed at a gold jewelery shop in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh May 8, 2012. REUTERS/Ajay Verma (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES)/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bars are displayed at a gold jewelery shop in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh May 8, 2012. REUTERS/Ajay Verma (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES)/File Photo

Gold prices rose on Thursday as US auto tariffs ratcheted up global trade tensions ahead of an April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs from the world's largest economy.

Spot gold was up 0.3% at $3,028.65 an ounce, as of 0650 GMT. US gold futures gained 0.5% to $3,036.10.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks starting next week, widening the global trade war.

Investors feared that Trump's reciprocal tariffs, expected to take effect on April 2, might fuel inflation, slow economic growth and heighten trade tensions.

Concerns over Trump's tariff policies catapulted gold to a record high of $3,057.21 on March 20.

Aakash Doshi, global head of gold at SPDR ETF Strategy, expects gold will breach $3,100 in the second quarter and "the market could potentially push another 8%-10% higher by end-2025 if the current macro and physical market tailwinds sustain for the yellow metal."

Goldman Sachs on Wednesday raised its end-2025 gold price forecast to $3,300 per ounce from $3,100, citing stronger-than-expected ETF inflows and sustained central bank demand.

Investors await the US personal consumption expenditures data, due on Friday, which could shed more light on the US interest rate path.

"The March high near $3,057 is immediate resistance for gold prices. The $3,100 figure follows next," said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.

Last week, the US central bank held benchmark interest rate steady, but indicated it could cut rates later this year. Non-yielding bullion tends to thrive in a low interest-rate environment.

Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari said that while the US central bank has made a lot of progress bringing inflation down, "we have more work to do" to get inflation to the Fed's 2% target.

Spot silver rose 0.1% to $33.73 an ounce, platinum fell 0.4% to $970.34 and palladium lost 0.5% to $963.03.