Paymentology has published a Quick Start Guide for card issuing in Saudi Arabia, targeting banks, fintechs, and brands seeking to navigate the Kingdom’s payments infrastructure. The guide addresses regulatory requirements, partner roles, and local payment rails in a market the company estimates at 57 million cards.

According to the company, the resource was developed with Flagship Advisory Partners and covers operating models, compliance frameworks under the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and Capital Market Authority (CMA), and domestic systems including Mada, SADAD, and SARIE.

Key Takeaways

  • Guide covers card issuing in Saudi Arabia’s reported 57-million-card market
  • Addresses SAMA and CMA regulatory requirements for card programmes
  • Explains roles of Mada, SADAD, and SARIE payment infrastructure
  • Includes roadmap from planning to launch and scaling

Market Context for Card Issuing in Saudi Arabia

The guide targets a payments sector that Paymentology reports handles more than SAR 1.2 trillion in annual spending. Additionally, the company states that debit cards drive over seven billion transactions yearly, while prepaid issuance exceeds 21 million cards.

Commercial card usage is growing at approximately 10% annually, with average spending projected to surpass SAR 58,000 per card in 2026, according to the release. However, these figures have not been independently verified.

The guide’s release follows Paymentology’s September announcement of expanded operations in Riyadh, which the company positioned as support for Vision 2030’s digital payment objectives.

Regulation and Infrastructure Coverage

The Quick Start Guide breaks down responsibilities across issuers, licence sponsors, programme managers, and processors within SAMA and CMA oversight frameworks. This addresses a common challenge for organizations entering the Saudi card issuing market: understanding how duties are distributed across multiple entities.

Furthermore, the guide explains how domestic payment rails affect product design. Mada handles domestic debit card routing, SADAD processes bill payments, and SARIE manages real-time interbank transfers. Therefore, card programmes must integrate with these systems to operate in the Kingdom.

“Saudi Arabia has become one of the most important payments markets in the region, with real scale, sophisticated infrastructure and clear national goals,” said Nauman Hassan, Regional Director MENA at Paymentology. “This guide brings together the key points: the rules, the partners and the operating choices.”

What the Guide Covers

The resource includes five main sections. First, it provides market structure analysis comparing debit, credit, prepaid, and commercial card segments. Second, it outlines operating options from in-house issuing to programme management partnerships.

Third, the guide details regulatory roles and compliance requirements. Fourth, it explains local infrastructure integration requirements. Finally, it offers a phased roadmap from strategy development through pilot testing to full-scale launch.

Erik Howell, Partner at Flagship Advisory Partners, noted that launching card products in Saudi Arabia “involves a specific mix of licensing, scheme requirements, operating decisions and the use of local rails.”

The Quick Start Guide to Card Programmes in KSA is available to download now at: https://www.paymentology.com/report/issuing-new-card-programmes-saudi-arabia