SAMA Signs Cross-Border Payment Agreement with Alipay+ for Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) signed a cross-border payment connectivity agreement with Ant International's Alipay+ platform in September 2025, enabling visitors from participating Asian markets to pay at Saudi merchants using their home-country digital wallets.

Targeting Inbound Tourism

The agreement supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 tourism targets. An estimated 30 million visitors are expected annually by 2030, with a growing share from China, Southeast Asia, and South Korea - markets where QR-based mobile payments dominate. Alipay+ connects over 25 payment partners across Asia and Europe, enabling their users to pay at participating Saudi merchants.

Saudi Payments Infrastructure

The deal complements Saudi Payments' existing domestic infrastructure (mada, Sarie instant payments) by adding an inbound cross-border retail payment layer. Saudi merchants accepting Alipay+ can tap into tourist spending without requiring visitors to obtain local payment instruments.

What This Means

This is part of a broader Gulf trend of connecting domestic payment infrastructure to Asian payment networks. The UAE signed a similar arrangement with Alipay+ in 2024. For Saudi Arabia, it addresses a practical gap: enabling cashless payments for millions of visitors from mobile-first payment markets.

Sources: SAMA, The Paypers