In a significant move to advance Saudi Arabia’s digital payments landscape, Mastercard has partnered with Google to expand the availability of Google Pay for its cardholders across the Kingdom. This collaboration enables consumers to make simple, secure, and convenient contactless payments using their Android smartphones, aligning with the nation’s push towards a cashless society.
Enhancing the Kingdom’s Cashless Economy
The launch directly supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Financial Sector Development Program, which aim to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and foster an inclusive digital economy. By providing a seamless contactless payment option, the partnership reinforces the growth of a secure cashless ecosystem, meeting the rising consumer demand for digital payment methods that offer both ease and peace of mind.
“Every step we take at Mastercard is guided by our mission to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere,” said Saud Swar, Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and other levant at Mastercard. “We are very excited to have collaborated with Google to bring people across Saudi Arabia closer to this vision of a connected world — one in which people are empowered to put their finances in their hands and complete transactions instantly.”
Seamless and Secure Contactless Transactions
Leveraging Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, Google Pay allows users to complete in-store purchases with a simple tap of their Android phone. The service prioritizes security through tokenization, a technology that replaces sensitive card data with a unique, device-specific token and a dynamic security code for each transaction. This ensures that personal and financial information is never shared with merchants or stored on the device, providing a trusted payment experience.
“We are thrilled to expand our collaboration Mastercard cardholders can also use Google Pay in Saudi Arabia. This offers a convenient and secure payment method, enabling instant in-store purchases with a tap of a mobile device,” stated Dmitry Stiran, Strategic Partner Development Lead at Payments, Google MENA. “Our goal is to empower consumers with greater financial control and deliver seamless payment experiences, all while contributing to the country’s economic transformation.”
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with its customers, it is building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. Mastercard supports a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Its technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
Source: Zawya
