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Welcome to Xchange by Money20/20 Middle East – where money meets ideas. 

Bold thought

Founders build their strongest fintech companies where demand, policy, and timing align.

Snapshot

Saudi Arabia is entering that alignment moment.

Digital finance is already mainstream. Cashless transactions account for the majority of retail payments, digital wallets are used at national scale, and fintech adoption is being driven as much by consumers as by policy. 

At the same time, regulators have moved beyond experimentation into execution – with clear frameworks that allow fintechs to test, iterate, and scale with confidence.

The result is that the ecosystem here is growing fast and deepening quickly. Targets are being surpassed and employment is rising. And the market has reached a size where ambition really can be rewarded. 

If you’re a founder, this creates an opportunity to build in a market where momentum is already moving in your direction.

Voices

Toby Rush (CEO at iDeem):

"The Saudi market offers an unparalleled welcome for fintechs, with a commitment to innovation that accelerates growth where other markets often stall. Gaining traction is all about building a network and investing in personal relationships while ensuring that as your business succeeds, the partners connecting you succeed as well."

(Connect with Toby on LinkedIn) 

Yoshi Yokokawa (Co-Founder and CEO at Alpaca):

“Having already built and scaled partnerships with multiple fintech startups in Saudi Arabia and now established a local KSA entity, we have seen firsthand how proactive regulators, committed capital, and real customer demand come together to help companies scale fast.”

(Connect with Yoshi on LinkedIn)

What to watch and do

• Watch: How Saudi fintech moves from first-wave adoption to second-wave differentiation – targeted products, stronger partnerships, and more specialised business models.
• Do: If you’re a founder, ask yourself if your current market still stretches your ambition. If it doesn’t…where could you go next? 

Further reading…

• Unlocking the future: The FinTech opportunity in Saudi Arabia – KPMG, late 2024
• KSA Fintech Opportunity Report – Tenity, 2025

We want to hear from founders 

Building fintech is about timing as much as talent. If Saudi Arabia is on your roadmap, Money20/20 Middle East 2026 is where you’ll have the conversations that enable your next phase. 

Open this newsletter on LinkedIn and tell us: where do you think the next great fintech companies will be built?

Catch you next week,

The Money20/20 Middle East Team