RIYADH: Saudi Arabia recorded SR15.799 billion in point-of-sale (POS) transactions during the week of August 23–29, 2026, up from SR14.173 billion during the previous comparable period, according to the Saudi Central Bank’s (SAMA) weekly POS bulletin.
The Kingdom recorded 255.384 million POS transactions during the week, highlighting continued strong consumer activity across retail, food, services and other sectors.
The food and beverages sector recorded the highest transaction value at SR2.585 billion across 59.134 million transactions, followed by other categories with SR2.363 billion from 42.809 million transactions. Restaurants and cafes recorded SR1.779 billion across 59.663 million transactions, while clothing and accessories generated SR1.414 billion from 11.643 million transactions.
Transportation transactions reached SR1.133 billion, while fuel stations recorded SR1.073 billion. Education generated SR1.096 billion from 322,000 transactions, while health-related transactions totaled SR894.237 million across 10.057 million transactions. Professional and business services recorded SR872.810 million from 16.056 million transactions.
Culture and entertainment generated SR432.828 million, while furniture and household supplies recorded SR430.019 million. Building and construction materials accounted for SR393.608 million.
Hotels recorded SR282.808 million in transactions, while jewelry reached SR275.619 million. Bakeries and sweets generated SR246.271 million, telecommunications SR208.280 million, and electronics and electrical appliances SR196.854 million.
At the city level, Riyadh recorded the highest POS transaction value at SR5.498 billion across 83.537 million transactions. Jeddah followed with SR2.113 billion from 28.191 million transactions, while Dammam recorded SR764.041 million across 9.977 million transactions.
Makkah recorded SR626.142 million, followed by Madinah at SR618.065 million. Khobar registered SR437.396 million, while Buraidah recorded SR392.099 million.
Tabuk recorded SR284.579 million, Hail SR248.640 million and Abha SR215.221 million. Other cities collectively recorded 28.043 million POS transactions worth SR1.156 billion.
The latest figures underscore the continued expansion of cashless payments and POS activity across Saudi Arabia, with major cities and consumer-facing sectors accounting for a significant share of weekly transaction volumes.
