Glossary

Mada Payment Gateway

بوابة دفع مدى

Saudi Arabia's national debit card network and payment gateway, operated by Saudi Payments. Mada is the most widely used payment method for online transactions in the Kingdom—more common than Visa or Mastercard among local consumers. Any e-commerce or service website targeting Saudi Arabia must integrate Mada to avoid losing the majority of local checkout completions. Integration requires a licensed Saudi payment processor such as HyperPay or Moyasar.

Related terms

SAMA Payment Regulations (Saudi Arabia)The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) regulates all payment services in Saudi Arabia, requiring payment service providers to obtain a licence and comply with cybersecurity, data residency, and consumer protection rules. Businesses selling to Saudi customers online must use a SAMA-licensed payment gateway (HyperPay, Moyasar, PayTabs, or Telr) to process card and Mada transactions. SAMA regulations also govern Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), digital wallets, and open banking APIs introduced under Vision 2030 fintech initiatives.
ZATCA E-Invoicing (Fatoorah)Saudi Arabia's mandatory electronic invoicing system mandated by the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA). Phase 2 requires B2B invoices to be issued in real-time XML format, transmitted to the ZATCA portal, and cryptographically stamped. Businesses selling to Saudi customers via their website must generate ZATCA-compliant invoices automatically. We integrate ZATCA API calls into checkout flows for Saudi-facing web projects.
PDPL (Saudi Personal Data Protection Law)Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), effective 2024, governs how businesses collect, store, process, and transfer personal data of Saudi residents. Websites must display an Arabic-language privacy policy, obtain explicit consent for data collection, and implement data breach notification procedures. Non-compliance can result in fines up to SAR 5 million. We configure compliant consent banners and privacy pages as standard on all Saudi-facing projects.
E-Commerce Localization (Gulf)Adapting an online store for Gulf markets beyond translation: displaying prices in SAR, AED, KWD, or QAR; integrating local payment methods (Mada, Apple Pay, SADAD, Telr); generating ZATCA-compliant invoices; showing VAT at 15% for Saudi and 5% for UAE; and applying Arabic product naming conventions. Localized stores convert 2–3x better than translated-only stores because the checkout feels native to the customer.

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