ع
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority placed total point-of-sale spending at SR16.31 billion from 267.11 million transactions in its latest weekly bulletin covering July 26 to August 1. SAMA figures registered a 33 percent increase in value from the preceding week while the number of transactions also advanced. The central bank releases these statistics every week to track electronic payments through POS terminals in all business activities and cities.
SAMA data identified food and beverages as the top category with SR2.692 billion, just ahead of other sectors at SR2.629 billion. Restaurants and cafes followed with SR2.044 billion from 63.676 million transactions, according to the authority’s breakdown. The bulletin further listed bakeries at SR285 million and hotels at SR367 million within the broader hospitality and food segment.
Retail categories showed clothing at SR1.409 billion from 11.838 million transactions while culture and entertainment reached SR412 million. SAMA statistics recorded jewelry at SR418 million, telecommunications at SR246 million and education at SR177 million. Professional services stood at SR968 million with electronics at SR221 million and furniture at SR516 million in the same report.
Construction spending totaled SR431 million and fuel SR1.118 million under the central bank’s sector inventory. Utilities registered SR64 million and laundry SR70 million while the authority’s tally for all remaining activities aligned with the overall SR16.31 billion figure. These details derive directly from SAMA’s weekly compilation of POS activity.
City-level SAMA data positioned Riyadh at the forefront with SR5.23 billion from 82.9 million transactions. Jeddah followed at SR2.183 billion from 29.8 million transactions while Dammam recorded SR725 million. The authority reported Makkah and Madinah each near SR648-649 million from roughly 10.3 million transactions apiece with Abha at SR295 million.
Earlier SAMA weekly reports showed comparable fluctuations in 2026 with values ranging from SR14.2 billion in mid-January to SR17 billion at the start of the year. One bulletin from early January noted a 31 percent weekly rise to SR17 billion accompanied by a 15.7 percent increase in transaction count to 255.4 million. The authority maintains an online archive of these reports that allows tracking of consumer payment trends across multiple periods.
The latest SAMA bulletin underscores sustained use of electronic payments consistent with prior releases that highlighted growth in digital transaction infrastructure. Additional historical data from the central bank’s statistics portal indicate POS activity has remained above SR12 billion in most weeks of 2026. Such consistent reporting supports monitoring of economic activity without reliance on secondary interpretations.
