Saudi POS Transactions Top $3 Billion for Fourth Week, Showing Consumer Confidence

Prime Highlights:

Saudi Arabia’s POS transactions stayed above $3 billion for the fourth straight week, showing strong consumer activity.
The growth of digital payments continues to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal of building a cashless, digital economy.

Key Facts:

Total consumer spending reached SR11.69 billion ($3.12 billion) in the week ending October 25, down 4.2% from the previous week.
The number of transactions fell 4.5% to 212.7 million, according to Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) data.

Background:

Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale (POS) transactions stayed above $3 billion for the fourth week in a row, showing that consumer activity remains strong even though overall spending slowed slightly in late October.

Data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) showed that total consumer spending reached SR11.69 billion ($3.12 billion) in the week ending October 25, a 4.2% drop from SR12.21 billion the previous week. The number of transactions also fell by 4.5% to 212.7 million, compared to 222.7 million a week earlier.

Even with this small decline, the steady spending levels highlight consumer confidence and the growing use of digital payments across the Kingdom.

Among spending categories, laundry services saw the biggest fall, down 10.3% to SR42.58 million, followed by jewelry, which decreased 9.1% to SR390.69 million. On the positive side, airline spending increased by 18.5 percent to SR57.88 million, while freight transport and courier services rose 5.6 percent to SR33.63 million.

Spending on major sectors such as restaurants and cafes fell 4.7 percent to SR1.45 billion, and food and beverages declined 6.6 percent to SR1.79 billion. Purchases of apparel and accessories dropped 3.2 percent, while construction materials were down 2.8 percent.

Regionally, Riyadh maintained its lead with SR4.28 billion in transactions, despite a 2.4 percent decrease, while Jeddah and Dammam saw drops of 4.9 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively. Cities such as Makkah and Madinah also recorded moderate declines.

SAMA’s weekly POS data shows that digital payments are growing quickly across Saudi Arabia. The wider use of POS systems, even outside major cities, supports the Vision 2030 plan to promote cashless transactions and build a stronger digital economy.