Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Point-of-sale (POS) spending in Saudi Arabia surged approximately 33 percent week on week to SR16.31 billion during the period from July 26 to August 1, 2026, reflecting continued growth in consumer spending and digital payment activity across the Kingdom.
According to the latest weekly POS bulletin from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), consumers conducted approximately 267.11 million POS transactions during the week.
The food and beverages sector recorded the highest spending among individual categories, reaching SR2.692 billion, followed by other sectors with SR2.629 billion and restaurants and cafés with SR2.044 billion.
Food, Hospitality and Restaurants
The restaurants and cafés sector recorded 63.676 million transactions worth SR2.044 billion during the week. Bakeries and confectioneries registered 6.758 million transactions, with spending reaching SR285.481 million.
The hotel sector recorded 1.106 million transactions valued at SR367.627 million, while food and beverages generated 60.711 million transactions worth SR2.692 billion.
Retail and Consumer Spending
In the retail segment, clothing and accessories recorded 11.838 million transactions worth SR1.409 billion. Culture and entertainment generated 4.408 million transactions, valued at SR412.907 million.
Jewelry recorded 359,000 transactions worth SR418.648 million, while telecommunications registered 5.704 million transactions valued at SR246.158 million.
The education sector recorded 139,000 transactions, with spending reaching SR177.832 million.
Business and Household Services
Professional and business services recorded 17.207 million transactions worth SR968.317 million.
Electronics and electrical appliances generated 2.308 million transactions, valued at SR221.602 million. Furniture and home furnishings recorded 3.128 million transactions worth SR516.103 million, while building materials and construction registered 3.200 million transactions valued at SR431.544 million.
Utilities and public services recorded 891,000 transactions worth SR64.022 million.
Fuel stations remained another major contributor, recording 18.987 million transactions valued at SR1.118 billion. Laundry services generated 3.340 million transactions worth SR70.403 million.
Other sectors collectively accounted for 44.496 million transactions, with total spending of SR2.629 billion.
Riyadh Leads POS Activity
Riyadh remained the Kingdom’s largest POS market, recording 82.883 million transactions worth SR5.230 billion during the week.
Jeddah followed with 29.798 million transactions valued at SR2.183 billion.
Dammam recorded 9.595 million transactions worth SR725.726 million, while Makkah registered 10.325 million transactions valued at SR648.774 million. Madinah recorded 10.304 million transactions worth SR649.022 million.
Other major cities also recorded significant activity. Tabuk registered 5.056 million transactions worth SR293.493 million, while Hail recorded 4.834 million transactions valued at SR287.128 million.
Abha recorded 5.004 million transactions worth SR295.877 million, while Buraidah registered 4.834 million transactions valued at SR287.128 million.
Al Khobar recorded 4.939 million transactions worth SR408.350 million, while other cities collectively accounted for 31.208 million transactions valued at SR1.361 billion.
The latest figures highlight the continued expansion of electronic payments and POS activity across Saudi Arabia, supported by growing consumer adoption of digital payment methods and the Kingdom’s broader push toward a cashless economy.
