Visa Direct Ecosystem Expands in Saudi Arabia as Demand for Digital Money Movement Accelerates

  • Demand for secure money movement is accelerating in Saudi Arabia, with Visa Direct card transaction volume growing over 50% year over year**.
  • Visa is expanding access to Visa Direct through a growing ecosystem of leading financial institutions across the Kingdom. Participating institutions include alrajhi bank, Alinma Bank, and Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), as access to Visa Direct capabilities continues to expand across the market. 
  • Remittances are part of daily life in Saudi Arabia, with 8 in 10 remitters transacting multiple times a year.
  • Security remains as critical as speed, as 1 in 4 remitters in Saudi Arabia report having been scammed.

Riyadh, 21 September 2026 – Visa today announced the continued expansion of its Visa Direct ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, working with leading financial institutions across the Kingdom to enable consumers and businesses to move money more quickly, securely, and seamlessly. Financial institutions across Saudi Arabia are increasingly leveraging Visa Direct's money movement capabilities to enable faster and more seamless payment experiences. Participating institutions include alrajhi bank, Alinma Bank, and Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB).

Supporting a wide range of money movement use cases, Visa Direct allows participating financial institutions, fintechs, and payment providers to facilitate domestic and cross-border transfers to eligible cards, accounts, and wallets worldwide through Visa's global network. As adoption continues to grow across the ecosystem, Visa Direct card transaction volume in Saudi Arabia increased over 50% year over year**, reflecting rising demand for secure and reliable digital money movement solutions. Across the KBO region, Visa Direct card transaction volume grew over 300% year over year**, reflecting accelerating adoption of digital money movement solutions across the region.

The growing demand for reliable money movement infrastructure comes as new findings from Visa's Money Travels: 2026 Digital Remittances Adoption Study highlight the importance of trusted digital solutions in Saudi Arabia to help support the everyday financial needs of consumers who rely on remittances to support family and manage cross-border financial commitments.

Key findings include:

  • Remittances are part of daily life in Saudi Arabia, with 8 in 10 remitters transacting multiple times a year.
  • Digital channels already dominate remittance behavior, with 54% using online banking or a bank’s mobile app to send remittances.
  • Security is as critical as speed: across all remittance channels, 1 in 4 remitters in Saudi Arabia have experienced a scam, with hidden fees and undelivered goods reported as the most common tactics — underscoring the importance of using trusted, secure platforms for money movement.
  • 45% cited family and cultural obligations as their primary reason for sending or receiving money internationally.
  • 45% have sent money internationally, while 30% have received money from abroad.

Ali Bailoun, Senior Vice President and Group General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman at Visa, said: "As digital adoption continues to accelerate across Saudi Arabia where consumers increasingly expect sending and receiving money to be a seamless as making a payment, we are working closely with banks, fintechs, and payment providers to expand access to trusted money movement solutions. The continued growth of Visa Direct reflects both the strength of our infrastructure and the increasing demand for faster, more secure, and more convenient ways to move money."

The announcement follows Visa's participation at Money20/20 Middle East, where the company engaged with financial institutions, fintechs, regulators and industry leaders on the future of payments, cross-border money movement and digital commerce across the region.

Visa's Money Travels: 2026 Digital Remittances Adoption Report was conducted by Morning Consult among 1,117 adults in Saudi Arabia between 24 February and 2 March 2026 as part of research across 20 international markets. The study explores consumer behaviours, attitudes and emerging trends in cross-border remittances, including digital payments and stablecoins.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

* Source: Visa internal data. Year-over-year comparison of July 2026 versus July 2025. Includes both outbound and inbound cross-border OCT and AFT transactions from CEMEA. Past performance is not indicative of future results.