Digital Payments

Visa conducted its first live international card transaction test in Syria on August 27, 2026, collaborating with Fransabank Lebanon and Paymera.

Barq and Riyadh Air have signed a strategic partnership to develop a secure and scalable digital payments platform, enhancing the airline’s financial infrastructure.

The My Syria app has officially launched as the country’s first digital tourism super app, enabling cross-border payments with Apple Pay and international cards.

The latest SME Confidence Index reveals that 75% of Saudi small business leaders remain confident about their growth prospects over the next 12 months.

Mastercard has partnered with Jarir to offer exclusive discounts for small business cardholders in Saudi Arabia, helping reduce operational costs.

As Saudi Arabia transitions to a cashless economy, ClearSkies introduces its Centric AI platform to help financial institutions detect and respond to cyber threats in minutes.

du Pay CEO appointment names Roberto Mancone to lead the digital financial services platform through its next growth phase. Mancone brings 25+ years of fintech leadership experience across multiple continents.

Arthur D. Little report shows MENA fintech sector strengthened in 2025 despite global funding headwinds, with 77% of leaders rating sector strength positively and venture capital reaching 3.8 billion dollars regionally.

Trip.com and Checkout.com have formed a strategic partnership to improve digital payment performance across Saudi Arabia, Japan, the UK, and North America. The deal targets faster transactions and higher acceptance rates for global travelers.

X Money is set to enter early public access next month, according to Elon Musk. The feature is part of X Corp.’s push to add payments to its social platform.

Ant International positions FinAI as essential infrastructure for secure agentic commerce, with AI-facilitated spending forecast to reach $8 trillion by 2030.

Ericsson and Mastercard collaborate to integrate fintech platforms for easier money movement. The deal targets unbanked populations starting in the Middle East.

Mastercard and Google launched Google Pay for cardholders in Saudi Arabia, enabling contactless payments via Android smartphones with tokenization security technology.

HyperPay obtains National Payment Gateway certification from SAMA, strengthening its position as a trusted payment infrastructure partner in Saudi Arabia’s digital economy.

Equiti Group partners with Checkout.com to revolutionize global payment operations, offering faster transactions and enhanced security for customers worldwide.

Checkout.com partners with Spotify to deliver AI-powered payment solutions for over 700 million users across 180+ countries, enhancing security and performance.