‎Saudi POS exceeds cash withdrawals for first time, e-commerce makes 10% of total spending

‎Saudi POS exceeds cash withdrawals for first time, e-commerce makes 10% of total spending

Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale (POS) transactions exceeded the value of cash withdrawals for the first time in April, according to the Saudi Central Bank's (SAMA) monthly bulletin.

POS transactions amounted to about SAR 49.44 billion, while cash withdrawals’ value reached SAR 47.58 billion.

Total consumer spending grew 12% to SAR 107.3 billion in April from SAR 96.1 billion in the year-earlier period.

Consumer spending includes total cash withdrawals, POS and e-commerce sales through "Mada".

E-commerce through "Mada" accounted for 10% of consumer spending, totaling SAR 10.26 billion.

E-commerce sales include the transactions of "Mada" cards used for payment and purchases through online shopping sites and electronic applications. They do not include transactions made through Visa, MasterCard, or other credit cards.

Data showed that a total of 531.3 million transactions were processed through 1.16 million POS devices in April.

POS transaction represents consumer spending using ATMs and credit cards in shopping malls, retail stores, pharmacies, etc.

The cash withdrawals were processed through 16,400 ATMs via 128.6 million transactions.

According to SAMA's monthly bulletin, these sales were made through 51.8 million transactions.

Previously, SAMA directed banks and payment service providers in the Kingdom to offer means of payment for all personal services and retail sector activities.

The apex bank's strategies for the payments sector