SAMA: 14.2 Billion Riyals in POS Sales Last Week

Electronic Payment System

The value of sales through point-of-sale terminals in Saudi Arabia reached about 14.2 billion riyals during the week ending July 11, 2026, compared to about 16.9 billion riyals in the previous week.

According to the weekly point-of-sale operations report issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the number of executed transactions reached about 250.5 million during the past week, compared to about 268.8 million in the previous week.

Point-of-sale transactions represent consumer spending via debit and credit cards in large shopping centers, retail stores, pharmacies, and others.

The data shows that the value of point-of-sale sales increases during weeks coinciding with government employee salary disbursements (on the 27th of each month), as well as weeks coinciding with school holidays and weeks preceding Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, while sales value declines in weeks before salary disbursement and weeks coinciding with the start of school after holidays.

The four-week moving average reached about 14 billion riyals. The value of point-of-sale operations increased during 2025 compared to 2024, 2023, and 2022, with the average sales value ranging between 11.4 and 15.3 billion riyals, compared to between 11.5 and 13.8 billion riyals in 2024, between 10.4 and 12.7 billion riyals in 2023, and between 9.4 and 11.6 billion riyals in 2022, as shown in the following chart:

By sector, consumer spending during the week ending July 11 focused on the food and beverages sector at 15.6% (value 2.21 billion riyals) and the restaurants and cafes sector at 13% (value 1.85 billion riyals).

Regarding the distribution of consumer spending by city during the week ending July 11, 2026, Riyadh topped with about 4.72 billion riyals, representing 33.1% of total sales value, followed by Jeddah with 2 billion riyals (14%).

According to the latest data from the Saudi Central Bank, the share of electronic payments in the retail sector (individuals) reached 85% of total payment transactions executed by individuals in the Kingdom for 2025, exceeding the target set by the Financial Sector Development Program (one of the Saudi Vision 2030 programs), which aimed for 70% in electronic payment share by 2025.

In recent years, the Kingdom has witnessed remarkable progress and rapid growth in the adoption of electronic payment methods, as a result of numerous strategic efforts and initiatives launched by the Saudi Central Bank in cooperation with the financial sector to support the growth of the payments sector and stimulate the use of various electronic payment options in the Kingdom.

Share of Electronic Payments in Retail Sector - Individuals

Year

Percentage

2021

57 %

2022

62 %

2023

70 %

2024

79 %

2025

85 %

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