Saudi POS transactions climb 3% to $3.4bn on strong consumer spending
Updated 01 October 2025
MIGUEL HADCHITY
RIYADH: Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia accelerated last week, with point-of-sale transactions rising 3 percent to SR12.77 billion ($3.40 billion), driven by higher spending across most sectors, official data showed.
According to figures from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, the number of transactions edged up 1.7 percent to 221.43 million in the week ending Sept. 27.
The sustained momentum highlights consumer confidence and the Kingdom’s ongoing digital payments transformation under Vision 2030 initiatives.
Spending on recreation — the fastest-growing subsector — surged 16 percent during the week to SR255.27 million, with 2.77 million transactions, boosted by anticipation of Riyadh Season, the Kingdom’s flagship entertainment festival set to begin later this month.
Telecommunication spending came second, rising 12 percent to SR155.73 million. Personal care rose by 10.3 percent to SR114.01 million, while the number of transactions increased by 7.2 percent to 2.37 million.
Expenditure on apparel and clothing rose 7.9 percent to SR951.08 million, with transaction volumes climbing 9.5 percent to 8.63 million.
On the downside, education posted the steepest drop, falling 34.3 percent to SR113.43 million. Freight transport, postal and courier services also declined, down 11.2 percent to SR28.23 million.
Food and beverages — the sector with the biggest share of total POS value — recorded a 2.3 percent increase to SR1.85 billion, while the restaurants and cafes sector saw a 9.7 percent increase, totaling SR1.59 billion and claiming the second-biggest share of this week’s POS.
Notably, spending in gas stations claimed the third biggest share at SR948.56 million despite a 0.7 percent decline.
The top three categories accounted for approximately 34.37 percent of the week’s total spending, amounting to SR4.39 billion.
Furniture and home supplies saw an 11.9 percent increase to SR682.05 million, expenditure on laundry services rose 2.5 percent to SR44.56 million.
Geographically, Riyadh dominated POS transactions, with expenses in the capital reaching SR4.55 billion, a 1.5 percent increase from the previous week.
Jeddah followed closely with a 1.9 percent rise to SR1.80 billion, while Dammam ranked third, up just 0.8 percent to SR640.83 million.
Artificial intelligence is transitioning into a ‘digital employee’
AI can be an effective tool, business leaders tell Arab News
Not about jobs, but ‘convergence of human capital and AI’
Updated 27 February 2026
Hebshi Alshammari
RIYADH: Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the world of work, transitioning from a supporting tool to an active partner that is radically changing the nature of professions and productivity standards.
Amidst the current global transformations, an active regional digital environment is emerging.
This is being led by Saudi Arabia through Vision 2030 and massive investments in smart infrastructure, providing a living model for studying the implications of this partnership between humans and machines on the future of work in the region.
Arab News spoke to various business leaders about the emerging shape of the sector.
Salem Bagami, co-founder of Metatalent, said the ideal relationship between humans and machines at work should be complementary and collaborative.
Humans would bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive, precise tasks.
He believes that this type of balanced partnership would lead to unprecedented productivity and innovation.
While machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive, precise tasks, humans would bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making. (Supplied)
Mohammad Al-Jallad, chief technologist and director at HPE, said AI has gone beyond being merely an executive tool to becoming a “digital employee” entrusted with automating routine tasks and providing insights based on data analysis.
He believes that the real opportunity lies not in the debate over job replacement, but in “the convergence of human capital and artificial intelligence.”
AI should augment human teams by taking on menial and routine tasks, enabling employees to focus on critical thinking, creativity, and ethical reasoning, significantly improving operational results.
Bagami also emphasized the complementary nature of this partnership. “The ideal relationship between humans and machines at work is one of collaboration, where each complements the others.”
He explained that humans bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and nuanced decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive tasks efficiently, leading to increased productivity and innovation.
Opinion
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Salem Alanazi, chairman of Jathwa Technology Co., notes a significant trend among Saudi Arabia companies toward using AI applications to provide faster services to customers at lower costs.
The emergence of the “virtual employee” available around the clock has eliminated the need for some traditional jobs in specific sectors.
Alanazi warns that some companies’ reluctance to adopt AI may expose them to real risks. “All those who hesitated to benefit from AI applications have a lack of understanding of these technologies.”
He said those who adopt these technologies will be able to offer lower-cost, higher-quality services, which will affect the market position of companies that lag behind.
Ali Aljumhour, CEO of VALUE Consultancy, said that the transition of AI into a partner has reshaped the list of most in-demand skills in the job market.
Skills such as “prompt engineering,” “human-machine integration,” and “digital ethics” are becoming increasingly important.
He added that AI has become an instantly available “technical knowledge base,” shifting the criteria for professional distinction toward those capable of smart interaction with these technologies.
In terms of ethics, transparency, and trust, Alanazi points to the complexities of global AI governance, where legislation overlaps and evolves rapidly to keep pace with potential risks, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy.
Ali Aljumhour, CEO of VALUE Consultancy. (Supplied)
Al-Jallad emphasizes this crucial dimension, noting that providing responsible and reliable AI solutions that meet the highest standards of transparency is a key priority, especially in regulated sectors.
Bagami believes there should be basic standards for the ethical use of Al, emphasizing the need for transparency, accountability, and fairness, along with using diverse data sets to prevent bias and protect privacy.
He believes that building trust between humans and machines requires clear explanations of how systems work, giving users the opportunity to provide feedback and conducting periodic performance reviews.
On performance evaluation, Aljumhour said: “I expect radical changes in standards, shifting from measuring individual effort to evaluating the quality of the partnership between humans and machines.”
There should be a focus on the quality of inputs provided to intelligent systems, the accuracy of review and modification, and complex decision-making based on outputs.
He warns, however, of new risks that may arise, such as over-reliance on AI or difficulty in determining responsibility for mistakes.
In the employment sector, Aljumhour expects fundamental changes in standards.
There will be questions and tests focusing on measuring skills in dealing with AI, such as asking candidates about their experiences of collaborating with these systems, or testing their ability to formulate effective requests for complex tasks.
Aljumhour identifies significant human challenges in this transition, with “fear, loss of power, and exclusivity of knowledge” being the biggest concerns for experienced employees.
