Point-of-sale (POS) transactions in Saudi Arabia reached approximately SAR11.5bn during the week ending April 19, 2025, compared to about SAR12.3bn in the previous week, Argaam reported on April 23.

According to the weekly POS operations report issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the number of executed transactions reached about 202.0mn during the week, compared to 209.1mn transactions in the previous week.

POS transactions represent consumer spending via ATM and credit cards in major shopping centres, retail stores, pharmacies and other establishments.

The data shows an increase in POS sales during weeks coinciding with government employee salary disbursements (typically on the 27th of each month), as well as during school holidays and the weeks preceding Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Sales typically decline in the weeks before salary payments and at the beginning of school terms after holidays.

The moving average for 2025 is about SAR13.60bn. POS transaction values increased during 2024 compared to 2023 and 2022, with average sales ranging between SAR11bn and SAR14bn, compared to between SAR10bn and SAR13bn in 2023 and between SAR9bn and SAR12bn in 2022.

By sector, consumer spending during the week ending April 19 was concentrated in restaurants and cafes at 14.7% (SAR1.68bn) and food and beverages at 14.4% (SAR1.65bn).

Regarding the distribution of consumer spending by city, Riyadh led with about SAR4.1bn, representing 35.9% of total sales, followed by Jeddah with SAR1.67bn (14.6%).

According to the latest Saudi Central Bank data, electronic payments in the retail sector reached 79% of total payment transactions executed by individuals in the kingdom for 2024, achieving the target set in the Financial Sector Development Programme (one of the Vision 2030 programmes), which aimed to reach 70% in electronic payments by 2025.

The kingdom has witnessed remarkable progress and accelerated growth in adopting electronic payment methods in recent years, resulting from numerous strategic initiatives launched by the Saudi Central Bank in cooperation with the financial sector to support the growth of the payments sector and encourage the use of diverse electronic payment options.