'Samsung Pay' Service Enabled in Saudi Arabia during Q4 2024, Says SAMA

The logo of Samsung is seen on a building during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 25, 2018. (Reuters)
The logo of Samsung is seen on a building during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 25, 2018. (Reuters)
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'Samsung Pay' Service Enabled in Saudi Arabia during Q4 2024, Says SAMA

The logo of Samsung is seen on a building during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 25, 2018. (Reuters)
The logo of Samsung is seen on a building during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 25, 2018. (Reuters)

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) said on Tuesday that it signed an agreement with Samsung to enable the launch of Samsung Pay in Saudi Arabia during Q4 of 2024.

The agreement was signed at the inaugural 24 Fintech conference in Riyadh.

The step reflects SAMA's ongoing efforts to improve digital payment in Saudi Arabia, in line with the objectives of the Financial Sector Development Program, a key initiative of Saudi Vision 2030, the bank said in a statement.

It also reflects SAMA's commitment to developing a robust digital payments infrastructure through the national payments system "mada", thus moving toward a less cash-dependent society by providing advanced digital payment solutions that align with international standards.

The Samsung Pay service aims to offer an advanced and secure payment experience, enabling users to easily store and manage their digital payment cards with the Samsung Wallet application.

The launch of the Samsung Pay service is part of a series of technical innovations that aim at meeting market needs and advancing Saudi Arabia's position as a global pioneer in FinTech.



Volkswagen Warns of German Plant Closures, End to Job Security Scheme

VW logo badge is seen on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, US, January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
VW logo badge is seen on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, US, January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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Volkswagen Warns of German Plant Closures, End to Job Security Scheme

VW logo badge is seen on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, US, January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
VW logo badge is seen on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, US, January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Volkswagen said on Monday it can no longer rule out plant closures in Germany as it seeks ways to save several billion euros at its namesake brand in a cost-cutting drive.

The carmaker considers one large vehicle plant and one component factory in Germany to be obsolete, its works council said, vowing "fierce resistance" to the executive board's plans.

Volkswagen said that it also felt forced to end its job security programme, which has been in place since 1994 and which prevents job cuts until 2029, adding all measures would be discussed with the works council, according to Reuters.

"The situation is extremely tense and cannot be overcome by simple cost-cutting measures," VW brand chief Thomas Schaefer said in a written statement.

The Volkswagen brand, which fuels most of the automaker's unit sales, is the first of the group's brands to undergo a cost-cutting drive targeting 10 billion euros ($11.07 billion) in savings by 2026 as it attempts to streamline spending to survive the transition to electric cars.

A difficult economic environment, new competitors in Europe, and the falling competitiveness of the German economy meant the carmaker needed to do more, Volkswagen Group Chief Executive Oliver Blume said in a statement to its management.