Visa Returns as Founding Partner of Money20/20 Middle East 2026 in Saudi Arabia, Powering the Future of Digital Commerce Across the GCC
- Visa to spotlight innovations in AI-enabled commerce, digital identity, and international money movement
- Partnership reinforces Visa’s long-term commitment to Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East digital economy
Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today announced its return as a Founding Partner of Money20/20 Middle East 2026, reinforcing its commitment to supporting the growth of digital commerce, fintech innovation, and the future of money movement across Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC region.
As one of the leading global platforms for the fintech ecosystem, Money20/20 convenes policymakers, financial institutions, fintech, and technology companies to shape the evolution of payments and commerce. The announcement comes at a time when Saudi Arabia continues to accelerate its digital transformation under Vision 2030, supported by strong growth in digital payments, financial innovation, and a rapidly expanding fintech landscape. This momentum is evidenced by Saudi Arabia recently achieving a remarkable 98% adoption rate for contactless in-person payments, a significant leap from just 4% in 2017. Additionally, in 2025, Visa’s Tap to Phone technology experienced 77% year-over-year adoption growth in the Kingdom.
Visa’s participation reflects both the scale of opportunity in the region and the importance of collaboration across the ecosystem. At Money20/20 Middle East 2026, Visa will engage with partners, clients, regulators, and innovators while demonstrating how technologies such as artificial intelligence in commerce, secure digital identity solutions, real-time payment capabilities, and next-generation international money movement— are helping consumers and businesses transact more efficiently and securely. Underscoring Visa’s scale and acceptance footprint in the region, the company recently began hosting its Visa Acceptance Platform on a local cloud in Saudi Arabia. This world-first implementation connects local businesses to a network of over 450 payment service providers globally.
“Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC are among the most dynamic digital commerce markets globally,” said Ali Bailoun, Senior Vice President and Group General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman at Visa. “Money20/20 Middle East provides a valuable platform to bring together public and private sector leaders to accelerate innovation, strengthen the payments ecosystem, and shape the future of commerce”
Steve Durning, Associate Vice President at Tahaluf, the organizer of Money20/20 Middle East
said: “Saudi Arabia is setting the pace for financial transformation in the region and increasingly influencing the future of the industry globally. Money20/20 Middle East exists to convene the organizations and decision-makers leading that change, creating a platform where ideas become partnerships and innovation becomes impact. Visa’s return as a Founding Partner underscores the strength of that vision and the opportunity ahead.”
Across the Middle East, digital payments adoption continues to grow, driven by increasing demand for seamless and secure payment experiences, alongside government-led initiatives to modernize financial infrastructure. Visa is working with financial institutions, fintech partners, and governments to support this transformation and expand access to digital payments across the region.
At the event, Visa will also showcase how its global network, technology capabilities, and partnerships are enabling new use cases in digital commerce, improving the speed and transparency of money movement, and enhancing security and trust across the payment’s ecosystem.
