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Saudi Payments Network
The Saudi Payments Network (Arabic: الشبكة السعودية للمدفوعات), commonly known as Mada (Arabic: مدى, literally "range" or "extent" ; formerly SPAN), is the primary payment system in Saudi Arabia. Established by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the network connects all automated teller machines (ATMs) and point-of-sale (POS) terminals across the Kingdom to a central payment switch that routes transactions to the appropriate card issuer.
All banks operating in Saudi Arabia are mandated by SAMA to issue ATM cards that are fully compatible with the network. Customers benefit from free service regardless of the ATM used, its operator, or the card issuer. Mada operates through a vast infrastructure comprising more than 17,000 ATMs and over 225,000 POS terminals within the country. In partnership with global payment systems such as Visa, MasterCard, and Maestro, the network also enables access to millions of ATMs and POS terminals worldwide.
Mada was originally launched as SPAN and later upgraded to SPAN2. This newer version complies with EMV standards and incorporates a higher-capacity infrastructure that reduces transaction processing times—particularly at POS terminals—thereby addressing limitations of the first-generation system.
As of the latest available data, Mada has achieved significant milestones:
Mada supports electronic payments through multiple channels:
The Mada network exclusively issues only debit and prepaid cards, which are always co-branded [Mandatory] with GCC NET and either Visa or MasterCard to ensure international acceptance.
Mada offers two primary payment services:
Additionally, Mada has introduced an NFC mobile payment application—Mada Pay—available only on Android devices. This application supports the addition of Mada, MasterCard, and Visa cards issued by banks or digital wallets in Saudi Arabia.
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Saudi Payments Network AI simulator
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Saudi Payments Network
The Saudi Payments Network (Arabic: الشبكة السعودية للمدفوعات), commonly known as Mada (Arabic: مدى, literally "range" or "extent" ; formerly SPAN), is the primary payment system in Saudi Arabia. Established by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the network connects all automated teller machines (ATMs) and point-of-sale (POS) terminals across the Kingdom to a central payment switch that routes transactions to the appropriate card issuer.
All banks operating in Saudi Arabia are mandated by SAMA to issue ATM cards that are fully compatible with the network. Customers benefit from free service regardless of the ATM used, its operator, or the card issuer. Mada operates through a vast infrastructure comprising more than 17,000 ATMs and over 225,000 POS terminals within the country. In partnership with global payment systems such as Visa, MasterCard, and Maestro, the network also enables access to millions of ATMs and POS terminals worldwide.
Mada was originally launched as SPAN and later upgraded to SPAN2. This newer version complies with EMV standards and incorporates a higher-capacity infrastructure that reduces transaction processing times—particularly at POS terminals—thereby addressing limitations of the first-generation system.
As of the latest available data, Mada has achieved significant milestones:
Mada supports electronic payments through multiple channels:
The Mada network exclusively issues only debit and prepaid cards, which are always co-branded [Mandatory] with GCC NET and either Visa or MasterCard to ensure international acceptance.
Mada offers two primary payment services:
Additionally, Mada has introduced an NFC mobile payment application—Mada Pay—available only on Android devices. This application supports the addition of Mada, MasterCard, and Visa cards issued by banks or digital wallets in Saudi Arabia.