A Visa study found that 95% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia see value in using a single solution that combines payments with business management, although only 45% currently use an integrated platform.
The findings, published in Visa’s “Payments and Collections 2026” report, highlight a gap between demand for connected tools and their adoption. While 98% of surveyed SMEs use digital payments, many still rely on separate systems for financial and administrative tasks.
According to the study, 30% of SMEs struggle to track outstanding invoices, while 26% face difficulties organising payroll records and 23% find financial reporting challenging.
Among businesses already using integrated solutions, 98% reported being satisfied and 87% said the tools had improved efficiency, including by reducing the time and effort required to manage operations.
The study identified several reasons for not adopting integrated platforms. Fourteen percent of businesses prefer separate tools, another 14% do not believe their business is large enough to need an integrated solution, and 14% cited data security or privacy concerns.
The findings come as electronic payments accounted for 85% of retail payment transactions in Saudi Arabia in 2025, up from 79% in 2024, according to the Saudi Central Bank. Visa said its commercial solutions are expanding to connect payments with reporting, collections, reconciliation and accounts receivable management.
Source: Jawlah
