E-commerce sales carried out via Mada cards in Saudi Arabia increased by 11.8 percent on a monthly basis in July 2026, reaching 37.6 billion Saudi riyals ($10 billion). Sales, which stood at 33.6 billion riyals in June, recorded 26 percent growth compared with the same period last year.
E-Commerce via Mada Grew in Saudi Arabia
The data was included in the monthly statistical bulletin of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). In the second quarter, e-commerce sales made with Mada cards increased by 3.1 percent from 98.3 billion riyals in the first quarter to 101.4 billion riyals. Compared with the volume of 76.6 billion riyals in the second quarter of last year, annual growth stood at 32.3 percent. Saudi Arabia’s official statistics also showed that the e-commerce sales index increased by 9.8 percent year-on-year in the second quarter.
POS Sales in Physical Retail Also Increased
In July, the total value of point-of-sale (POS) transactions in the retail sector increased by 9.4 percent month-on-month, rising from 54.6 billion riyals to 59.7 billion riyals. Of this amount, 34 billion riyals was transacted via mobile phones, while 25.7 billion riyals was carried out through cards. POS sales increased by 6.8 percent year-on-year.
In the second quarter, however, POS sales declined by 4.8 percent compared with the previous quarter, falling to 170.1 billion riyals. According to data from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics, the e-commerce sales index for retail trade increased by 13.4 percent year-on-year during the same period, while the index for wholesale trade rose by 6.5 percent.
Commercial Registrations in the Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Increased by 240 Percent
In parallel with the growth in e-commerce and digital retail, commercial activity in the field of artificial intelligence also expanded. According to first-quarter 2026 data from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce, the number of commercial registrations in the artificial intelligence sector increased by 240 percent over the past five years, exceeding 19,000. During the same period, the total number of active commercial registrations in the country surpassed 1.89 million, while more than 71,000 new commercial registrations were created in the first quarter.
SAMA’s data also shows an increase in the use of electronic payment channels. In the first quarter of 2026, the value of e-commerce transactions carried out with Mada cards in Saudi Arabia increased by 41.9 percent year-on-year, while growth in POS transactions was recorded at 4.4 percent.