{
  "slug": "mena-fintech",
  "name": "Middle East Fintech & Payments",
  "updated": "2026-09-21",
  "page": "https://godofstartups.com/atlas/markets/mena-fintech",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "facts": [
    {
      "metric": "Saudi finance and insurance establishments using AI technologies",
      "value": "52.9% in 2025; 44.7% in 2024",
      "unit": "% of establishments in financial and ins",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2024-2025",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.stats.gov.sa/documents/d/guest/establishments-ict-access-and-usage-statistics-2025-en-pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi Arabia digital payment adoption change",
      "value": "79 -> 85",
      "unit": "% of total retail payments",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia (MENA narrower geography)",
      "period": "2024-2025",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/N2558262"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi adults in the poorest 40% of households who made a digital merchant payment",
      "value": "57.1637489669115",
      "unit": "percent",
      "geo": "SA",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/merchant.pay.7?source=28&format=json"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Digitally enabled account, adults age 15+, Egypt",
      "value": "28.24",
      "unit": "percent",
      "geo": "EG",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/dig.acc?locations=EG"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Account ownership among the poorest 40% by income, Egypt",
      "value": "33.080949427223",
      "unit": "percent",
      "geo": "EG",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/EGY/indicator/account.t.d.7?source=28&format=json&per_page=100&date=2024"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi Arabia adults who made or received a digital payment",
      "value": "75.7246348679077",
      "unit": "% of population age 15+, World Bank Global Findex",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia (MENA narrower geography)",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/g20.any?locations=SA"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Account ownership among young adults ages 15-24, Egypt",
      "value": "32.5398576308392",
      "unit": "percent",
      "geo": "EG",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/EGY/indicator/account.t.d.3?source=28&format=json&per_page=100&date=2024"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Account ownership among adults age 25+, Egypt",
      "value": "47.0131693568487",
      "unit": "percent",
      "geo": "EG",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/EGY/indicator/account.t.d.4?source=28&format=json&per_page=100&date=2024"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi rural adults who made or received a digital payment",
      "value": "73.4982525093188",
      "unit": "percent",
      "geo": "SA",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/g20.any.9?source=28&format=json"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi Arabia adults who made a digital merchant payment",
      "value": "64.1603226021606",
      "unit": "% of population age 15+, World Bank Global Findex",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia (MENA narrower geography)",
      "period": "2024",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/merchant.pay?format=json&per_page=10"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Debit-card share of Saudi e-commerce payment methods",
      "value": "50",
      "unit": "percent of e-commerce users",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2023",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/Documents/Report_on_Payments_Usage_Study_2023_en.pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Average cost of sending remittances to Morocco (inbound)",
      "value": "4.17",
      "unit": "percent",
      "geo": "MA",
      "period": "2023",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.RMT.COST.IB.ZS?locations=MA"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi Arabia total payment transactions volume",
      "value": "17.2",
      "unit": "billion transactions",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2023",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/Documents/Report_on_Payments_Usage_Study_2023_en.pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "North Africa utility payers using digital payment methods",
      "value": "<5",
      "unit": "percent of utility payers",
      "geo": "North Africa",
      "period": "2021/2022",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/globalfindex/brief/data-from-the-global-findex-2021-progress-and-obstacles"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi Arabia national POS estate increase",
      "value": "72",
      "unit": "%",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2021-2023",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/Documents/Report_on_Payments_Usage_Study_2023_en.pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi Instant Payments System sarie transaction volume growth",
      "value": "176 to 437",
      "unit": "million transactions",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2021-2023",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/Documents/Report_on_Payments_Usage_Study_2023_en.pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi Arabia average unit cost of payments reduction",
      "value": "11",
      "unit": "%",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2021-2023",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/Documents/Report_on_Payments_Usage_Study_2023_en.pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Companies licensed by SAMA under non-bank financial institution licenses",
      "value": "15",
      "unit": "licensed companies",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2020",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://sama.gov.sa/en-US/Documents/Open_Banking_Policy-EN.pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Saudi fintech regulatory sandbox entrants permitted to operate in 2018 cohort",
      "value": "7",
      "unit": "fintechs permitted to operate",
      "geo": "Saudi Arabia",
      "period": "2018 cohort",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://sama.gov.sa/en-US/Documents/Open_Banking_Policy-EN.pdf"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Adults using a mobile phone or the internet to pay bills, Jordan",
      "value": "2.12138544555093",
      "unit": "% of population age 15+",
      "geo": "JO",
      "period": "2017",
      "tier": 1,
      "status": "ready",
      "url": "https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/fin26a?locations=JO"
    }
  ],
  "note": "status: ready = two or more independent sources or an official series; proxy = one source; context = macro background, not a validation figure."
}