The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has initiated efforts to provide a variety of systems for making government payments, linking the government with its various sectors and individuals with the remaining sectors. This section introduces the Saudi government's payment systems, the numerous electronic methods of facilitated financial services and the platforms available to process government payments for public and private sectors and government workers. It will also provide information on four leading electronic payment portals and four main electronic payment applications in Saudi Arabia.
Introduction about Saudi Government Payments
The eGovernment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides various systems for making government payments, thereby linking the government with its various sectors, and with the individuals. This, in turn, is designed to facilitate the process of making government payments, while elevating them to the global payment and data security standards. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency (SAMA) are the two most relevant entities in monetary payment processes.
Payments System
Payments methods differ to meet the individuals and entities’ various needs. These are:
- Electronic Payment: which is done through online banking services (Government Payments, Sadad)
- Phone call: through banking services – phone banking.
- ATMs
- At the Bank
Government initiatives
Saudi Arabia has facilitated financial services by confirming a number of electronic methods including:
- Sadad: an online system that provides services for making payments and taxes for individuals, businesses and the public sector, and enables individuals to pay their electricity, water, telecommunications, and government fees.
- Saree’: known as the Saudi Fast Transfer System which enables the user to make remittances automatically and ensures access to the beneficiary immediately in order to reduce financial risks and dispense with carrying money to transfer from one bank to another.
- Mada: a system that enables ATM, POS and online payment services to perform online tasks easily and simply.
Processing Government Payments
Government payments are processed through these portals:
- Etimad Platform: an online platform for electronic requests regarding payables for the public and private sectors.
- Sarf System: the financial rights system for government workers. Payments are done through Remittance
Electronic Payment Portals
e-payments are one of life’s facilitators, especially online shopping has become more popular and this method is used to pay immediately. Saudi Arabia approves these services as e-payment portals:
Electronic Payment Applications
- STC Pay: a digital wallet equipped with all the means and options that enable individuals to control their payments in all, where they can transfer, receive, shop and control their financial matters through a single mobile application.
- Bayan Portfolio: an innovative and simplified way to enable individuals and businesses to accept, and spend electronic payments.
- Mada Pay: an application allows bank customers, who have issued cards to save all their bank cards (whether related to the current or credit account) in one application on the smartphone and pay through it
- Apple Pay: a feature available on iPhones or Apple Watch that enables the user to pay directly without needing a credit card.
Non-Electronic Payment Channels
- Bank: visit a bank branch for payment, click here to view all banks in Saudi Arabia
- ATMs: pay through an ATM by depositing or transfering money to beneficiaries, click here to view all ATMs in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Post: visit one of Saudi Post's branches to deposit the amount to be delivered to the beneficary, click here to view Saudi Post branches
Important links