SAMA: mada and Himyan Cards Accepted Cross-Border

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has announced the gradual start of cross-border acceptance of Saudi mada cards in Qatar and Qatar's national Himyan payment card inside the Kingdom, as part of a wider effort to integrate the two countries' national payment systems.

The rollout is being introduced in phases following the completion of technical and operational integration between mada and Qatar's national card and payment infrastructure. Once each phase becomes active, mada cardholders will be able to make payments in Qatar at participating merchants and terminals, while Himyan cardholders will be able to pay at participating merchants and terminals in Saudi Arabia.

The initiative builds on earlier point-of-sale connectivity between mada and Qatar's NAPS through the Gulf Payments Network (GCC-Net), which already allowed both national cards to be used for POS transactions across the two countries. Authorities frame the expansion as part of GCC economic and financial integration goals and a push to widen acceptance of national Gulf cards and shared payment infrastructure.

What it means for residents

For residents and travelers moving between the two countries, the arrangement is intended to make everyday payments smoother by allowing the use of a national card abroad. Detailed fee schedules in ريال سعودي — such as per-transaction cross-border pricing, currency mark-ups, merchant charges, or ATM withdrawal fees — have not been publicly specified in the announcement.

No expiry window has been set for the arrangement, which is presented as an ongoing enhancement rather than a time-limited program. The initiative is handled directly through SAMA and Qatar Central Bank, and there is no indication that Saudi e-services platforms such as أبشر, مقيم, قوى, ناجز, نفاذ, or توكلنا are used to activate or manage the cross-border card usage. Within the Kingdom, mada remains the mandated national network for domestic card acceptance at merchants above defined revenue thresholds.

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