How people pay in the GCC in 2026
The six Gulf Cooperation Council states, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, share a young, mobile-first population and governments that push hard against cash. Saudi Arabia leads by size. Electronic payments reached 85% of all retail payments in 2025, up from 79% in 2024, according to the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), with 14.6 billion transactions. A decade earlier the share was only 18%, in 2015. Each state also runs its own national debit network: mada in Saudi Arabia, KNET in Kuwait, NAPS in Qatar, BENEFIT in Bahrain, OmanNet in Oman, and Jaywan in the UAE, issued nationwide since July 2026.
The newest layer is real-time account payments. Every GCC country now has an instant payment system with phone-number transfers and, in most cases, QR codes: sarie, Aani, Fawran, WAMD, Fawri+ and Oman's mobile payment switch. Contactless cards and phones dominate at the till, with Apple Pay as the leading wallet, and BNPL providers such as Tabby and Tamara are now licensed finance companies in Saudi Arabia. Cash on delivery, long the default online, keeps shrinking. For payment providers, a GCC checkout needs local debit schemes, wallets and installments, country by country.
- 85% of retail payments in Saudi Arabia were electronic in 2025 (Saudi Central Bank)
- 12.5 million registered users of the UAE's Aani instant payment platform in April 2026 (Central Bank of the UAE)
- 467.9 million Fawri+ instant transfers in Bahrain in 2025 (BENEFIT)
- 224.2 million instant payment transactions in Oman in H1 2026, up 49% (Central Bank of Oman via Oman Observer)
Payment by card in the GCC
Cards are the base of Gulf payments, and most of them are domestic debit cards. Saudi Arabia's mada scheme, run by Saudi Payments under SAMA, carries the bulk of card spending online and in stores. E-commerce sales on mada cards reached SR37.6 billion in July 2026 and SR101.4 billion in Q2 2026, up 32.3% year on year. In stores, Saudi point-of-sale terminals handled 1.1 billion transactions worth SR62.85 billion in July 2026, on 2.5 million devices. mada itself reports 47.7 million cards in 2023. In Kuwait, nearly all locally issued debit cards carry the KNET brand, and online they work through a redirect to the KNET payment page.
The UAE was the exception, without a domestic scheme, until Jaywan. Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE, opened nationwide issuance of Jaywan cards on July 20, 2026, starting with FAB debit cards and CBD prepaid cards, and Network International enabled Jaywan online acceptance for its merchants. Qatar's NAPS network processed 50.71 million point-of-sale card transactions in December 2025. Visa and Mastercard sit on top, on credit cards and co-badged debit cards, and they matter for tourists and cross-border sales. Read our guide to how card networks work and to interchange fees.
Card schemes in the GCC
mada
Domestic debit scheme
Saudi Arabia's national payment scheme, accredited by SAMA and run by Saudi Payments. Every Saudi bank debit card carries it, and it works in stores, online and in Apple Pay.
SR37.6 billion e-commerce sales on mada cards in July 2026, SAMA data via Zawya
Jaywan
Domestic card scheme
The UAE's first national card scheme, run by Al Etihad Payments. Cards work at POS, online, at ATMs and in digital wallets, and partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, Discover and UnionPay extend use abroad.
July 20, 2026 start of nationwide Jaywan card issuance by UAE banks, Central Bank of the UAE
KNET
Domestic debit scheme
Kuwait's national debit network and payment gateway, owned by local banks. Shoppers pay online with a KNET debit card through a redirect to a KNET page.
80% share of debit cards among about 5 million cards issued in Kuwait, Mastercard Gateway
NAPS and Himyan
Domestic debit scheme
Qatar's national ATM and POS network, with the QPay e-commerce gateway, both run under Qatar Central Bank. Himyan, Qatar's national prepaid card, is processed through NAPS for domestic payments.
50.71 million point-of-sale card transactions in Qatar in December 2025, QCB via Gulf Times
OmanNet
Domestic debit scheme
Oman's national switch, established by the Central Bank of Oman, used for debit card payments at POS, ATMs and online through a redirect payment page.
359.5 million OmanNet transactions in H1 2026, up 34%, Central Bank of Oman via Oman Observer
BENEFIT debit
Domestic debit network
Bahrain's national network, owned by local banks, connects ATMs, POS terminals and the BENEFIT payment gateway for local debit cards, alongside its BenefitPay app.
Visa
International scheme
The leading international card brand in the Gulf, on credit, prepaid and co-badged debit cards, accepted at almost every terminal and essential for tourists and cross-border sales.
Mastercard
International scheme
The second international scheme in the region, strong on credit and premium cards, and a technology partner of several national payment systems.
Payment by cash in the GCC
Cash is losing ground in every Gulf state, and governments want it that way. Saudi Arabia ties the shift to Vision 2030, and electronic payments rose to 85% of retail payments in 2025, which leaves cash at a small and shrinking share of retail spending. In Kuwait, KNET recorded a 14% fall in cash withdrawals in 2024 while point-of-sale transactions grew 20%. The UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman push the same way with instant payments and national cards.
Online, cash survives as cash on delivery. A Checkout.com survey found that preference for cash on delivery in the region halved, from 41% in 2020 to 20% in 2023, and that cash preference fell as low as 10% in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait. Many online shops still offer it, but prepaid methods, wallets and BNPL keep taking its place. Our article on the transition from cash to digital payments looks at the same shift in other markets.
Cash payment methods in the GCC
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Riyals, dirhams and dinars remain legal tender in all six states, used mainly by older consumers, for small purchases and by part of the expatriate workforce.
14% fall in KNET cash withdrawals in Kuwait in 2024, KNET via Kuwait Times
Cash on delivery
Cash on delivery
Paying the courier at the door is still offered by many Gulf online shops, even as its share of online payments falls.
20% of MENA shoppers preferred cash on delivery in 2023, down from 41% in 2020, Checkout.com
Payment by bank transfer in the GCC
All six GCC states now run a national instant payment system, usually operated by the central bank or a bank-owned switch, with transfers by mobile number. The UAE's Aani, launched in 2023, had more than 12.5 million registered users, 74 connected institutions and around 774,000 merchants in April 2026, and supports QR payments and Request to Pay. Bahrain's Fawri+ processed 467.9 million transactions worth BD 9.7 billion in 2025, almost all through the BenefitPay app.
Elsewhere, Oman's mobile payment switch, MPCSS, handled 224.2 million instant payments in H1 2026, and their value now exceeds OmanNet card payments. Qatar's Fawran had 3.61 million registered accounts in December 2025. Kuwait's WAMD, run by KNET, reached one million registered users in its first quarter after launch in June 2024. In Saudi Arabia, sarie sits alongside mada and SADAD, and SAMA lets licensed fintechs connect directly to all three. Our guide to account-to-account payments explains why these rails matter for merchants. Our real-time payments explorer compares instant payment systems country by country.
Bank transfer methods in the GCC
sarie
Instant payment
Saudi Arabia's instant payment system, launched by SAMA in 2021, used for 24/7 transfers by phone number or IBAN between banks and licensed fintechs.
12.8 billion transactions across mada, sarie and SADAD combined in 2024, SAMA via BIS
Aani
Instant payment
The UAE's instant payment platform, run by Al Etihad Payments, with transfers by mobile number, Emirates ID or QR code, Request to Pay, and a limit of AED 50,000 per transfer.
12.5 million registered Aani users in April 2026, Central Bank of the UAE
Fawri+
Instant payment
Bahrain's real-time transfer service run by BENEFIT, used mostly through the BenefitPay app for person-to-person and merchant payments.
467.9 million Fawri+ transactions worth BD 9.7 billion in 2025, BENEFIT
Fawran
Instant payment
Qatar Central Bank's instant payment service, launched in March 2024, with 24/7 transfers by mobile number or alias, payee name check and a QR 50,000 limit per transfer.
3.19 million Fawran transactions worth QR5.09 billion in December 2025, QCB via Gulf Times
WAMD
Instant payment
Kuwait's real-time payment scheme, run by KNET with ACI Worldwide, which lets users send money by mobile number across all Kuwaiti banks.
1 million registered WAMD users reached in the first quarter after its June 2024 launch, KNET and ACI Worldwide
MPCSS (Oman instant payments)
Instant payment
The Central Bank of Oman's Mobile Payment Clearing and Switching System, used by 15 banks and 9 payment providers for transfers by mobile number, alias or QR code. Since November 2025, P2P payments are free and the merchant fee is capped at 0.50%.
224.2 million instant payment transactions worth RO 8.2 billion in H1 2026, Central Bank of Oman via Oman Observer
Payment by installment and BNPL in the GCC
Buy now, pay later took off in the Gulf faster than almost anywhere, led by two regional champions. Tabby raised $233 million at a $6.5 billion valuation in September 2026 and reported 25 million registered users, 70,000 business partners and more than $18 billion in annualized transaction volume. Tamara, founded in Riyadh, is active in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain and partners with Amazon Payment Services in the two largest markets.
Regulation shapes the market. In Saudi Arabia, BNPL is a licensed activity. SAMA licensed Tamara Finance for consumer finance and BNPL in March 2025, and in July 2026 Tabby obtained consumer finance and SME finance licenses, which let it offer Shariah-compliant 12-month plans on purchases of SAR 2,000 to SAR 50,000. Plans are interest-free in their basic pay-in-4 form and built on Murabaha structures for longer terms. Local players fill niches, such as Taly in Kuwait. Banks also offer installment payments on credit cards.
Installment and BNPL providers in the GCC
Tabby
BNPL
The largest Gulf BNPL app, offering split in 4 and, since July 2026, Shariah-compliant 12-month plans in Saudi Arabia, plus the Tweeq wallet in Saudi Arabia and Tabby Cash in the UAE.
25 million registered users and $18 billion+ annualized volume, September 2026, Wamda
Tamara
BNPL
Saudi BNPL provider offering pay in installments and pay later at online and in-store checkouts in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.
March 2025 SAMA license for Tamara Finance to provide consumer finance and BNPL, Saudi Central Bank
Taly
BNPL
Kuwaiti BNPL app, licensed by the Central Bank of Kuwait as an e-money provider, that splits purchases into up to four interest-free payments, backed by a strategic investment from KFH Capital announced in 2025.
Card installment plans
Bank installments
Gulf banks let credit cardholders convert purchases into monthly installments, in store with partner merchants or after the purchase in the banking app.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in the GCC
Phones have become the usual way to pay at Gulf tills. In Saudi Arabia, mada counted 8.6 billion NFC transactions out of 8.9 billion in 2023, a mix of contactless cards and phones. Apple Pay leads this X-Pay wave, as mada cards can be added to Apple Wallet next to credit cards. Google Pay arrived late: it launched in Saudi Arabia with mada in September 2025, starting with Al Rajhi Bank and Riyad Bank, and SAMA plans to enable Alipay+ through mada in 2026.
Local wallets compete on remittances and everyday payments. Al Rajhi Bank's urpay has more than 8 million users, while stc pay became STC Bank, a digital bank licensed by SAMA. In Bahrain, BenefitPay carried 466.0 million transactions in 2025, and Qatar counts 1.27 million registered QMP mobile wallets. Our article on Apple Pay integration covers what this means for checkouts.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in the GCC
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet
Apple's wallet is the default way to tap in Gulf stores and a leading option in apps and online, with mada and international cards.
Google Pay
Mobile wallet
The Android wallet for tap-to-pay, available in the UAE and, since September 2025, in Saudi Arabia with mada, Visa and Mastercard cards; in-app and web payments in Saudi Arabia were announced as a later step.
September 15, 2025 launch of Google Pay with mada in Saudi Arabia, Google
BenefitPay
Bank wallet
Bahrain's national payment app, run by BENEFIT, used for Fawri+ transfers, QR payments at merchants and bill payments.
466.0 million BenefitPay transactions worth BD 10.2 billion in 2025, BENEFIT
urpay
Mobile wallet
Digital wallet from Neoleap, an Al Rajhi Bank subsidiary, used in Saudi Arabia for payments, transfers and international remittances.
8 million+ urpay users in 2025, Al Rajhi Bank annual report
STC Bank
Digital bank wallet
Formerly stc pay, the Saudi wallet became a SAMA-licensed digital bank, and wallet users are moved to bank accounts with cards and Apple Pay.
QMP wallets
Mobile wallet
Qatar Mobile Payments, the QCB system that connects licensed mobile wallets in Qatar for transfers and merchant payments.
1.27 million registered QMP wallets in December 2025, QCB via Gulf Times
Payments in the Gulf Cooperation Council: FAQ
What is the most popular payment method in Saudi Arabia?
mada debit cards, mostly used contactless. E-commerce sales on mada cards reached SR37.6 billion in July 2026, and 8.6 billion of mada's 8.9 billion transactions in 2023 were contactless. Apple Pay is the leading wallet.
Does the UAE have a domestic card scheme?
Yes. Jaywan, run by Al Etihad Payments, is the UAE's first national card scheme. Banks started nationwide issuance on July 20, 2026, and the Ministry of Finance added Jaywan and Aani to federal payment channels in August 2026.
Which instant payment systems exist in the GCC?
sarie in Saudi Arabia, Aani in the UAE, Fawran in Qatar, WAMD in Kuwait, Fawri+ in Bahrain and Oman's mobile payment switch. Usage is growing fast. Aani reported a sixfold year-on-year increase in transfers in April 2026.
Is BNPL regulated in the GCC?
In Saudi Arabia, yes. BNPL providers need a SAMA finance license, and Tamara Finance received one in March 2025. Tabby added consumer and SME finance licenses in July 2026.
Accept local payments in the GCC with NORBr
In the GCC, gateways such as Tap Payments, PayTabs, HyperPay and Moyasar dominate, and Network International leads UAE acquiring. A PSP, PayFac, ISO or ISV should check central bank licensing, mada and KNET certification, local settlement and Arabic checkout.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers mada, KNET and the other domestic debit schemes, Apple Pay, instant payments such as sarie and Aani, and BNPL from Tabby and Tamara. Some are already in our connector catalog; Mapper™ gets the others live in days, and Smart Checkout shows each shopper the right methods. Explore the other #PayWorldTour guides.
Local payment providers in the GCC
Network International
Acquirer
Dubai-based payment processor and leading merchant acquirer in the UAE, also serving merchants and banks across the wider Middle East and Africa.
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Tap Payments
Payment gateway
Kuwait-founded payment gateway present across the GCC, letting online businesses accept each country's local debit scheme alongside cards and wallets.
Covers: Cards, mada, KNET, BENEFIT, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Tabby, Tamara
PayTabs
Payment gateway
Regional payment gateway founded in the Gulf, serving SMEs and enterprises in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other GCC markets with online and link-based payments.
Covers: Cards, mada, KNET, Apple Pay, STC Bank, Tabby, Tamara
HyperPay
Payment gateway
Riyadh-based payment gateway serving merchants in Saudi Arabia and neighboring markets, with strong coverage of mada and local wallets.
Covers: mada, Cards, Apple Pay, STC Bank, Tabby, Tamara
Moyasar
Payment gateway
Saudi payment gateway focused on developers and online businesses, offering a simple API and dashboard for accepting payments in SAR.
Covers: mada, Cards, Apple Pay, STC Bank
