Saudi Arabia is now amongst the many countries in which Apple Pay is available. Users in the Middle East’s largest sovereign state are now able to add compatible cards to Apple Pay on their iOS devices.
Al-Rajhi Bank and Riyad Bank so far support Apple Pay in Saudi Arabia. MADA, otherwise known as The Saudi Payments Networks, will also make the mobile payment option available. MADA is a new identity of the Saudi Payment Network and an advanced generation of the electronic payments in Saudi Arabia. It’s likely that more banks will also be added.
Rumours of Apple Pay being rolled out in Saudi Arabia started in October but a launch date was never provided. November saw the launch of the iOS mobile payment in Belgium and Kazakhstan. It has also recently launched in the Czech Republic.
Apple Pay in the US
Over in the US, Apple Pay is continuously expanding to new retailers with Target and Taco Bell two of the latest retailers to add support for mobile payments. That said, many notable holdouts remain with Kroger bakery launching their own mobile payment service.
Though, for all the holdouts, banks, retailers and financial institutions around the world are continuing to add the mobile payment option. At 74 out of 100, just shy of three quarters of America’s top retailers offer it as a payment option. Though, it remains more popular internationally than it does in the US. The initiative has some 252 million users worldwide.
