Fintech & Payments

What BNPL actually earns

August 15, 2026

Argaam's read on the sector after SAMA lifted the BNPL financing ceiling to SAR 10,000 puts the Saudi market at $4.96 billion in 2025, $5.29 billion in 2026 and $7.31 billion by 2031, a 6.66% compound rate overall, against 28.85% for bank-linked BNPL services and 33.97% for the healthcare segment. Tabby ran an effective financing yield of 19.5% on $1.6 billion of assets in Q1 2026, Tamara 31.7% on $1.8 billion.

Argaam

There is no longer a single economic model for BNPL services. The 19.5% and 31.7% market segments operate as distinct businesses. Banks, compounding at 28.85%, benefit from lower funding costs and established customer relationships. As a result, standalone BNPL providers should prioritize their cost of capital over market share.

Osamah Alfadda
|
CEO

Explore more signals

Government & Public Sector
August 5, 2026
PIF's $2.4 billion half

Lucid announced $1.4 billion in identified cost cut as H1 2026 losses widened 50% to $2.4 billion from $1.6 billion a year earlier. H1 production was 10,274 vehicles against a full-year target of 25,000–27,000. Shares fell 9% after the announcement.

AGBI

The second half now needs to roughly double the first, and $1.4 billion in cuts does not close a $2.4 billion gap on its own, production is the real test here, not the balance sheet.

Osamah Alfadda
|
CEO
Telecom & Technology
August 16, 2026
The second SIM tells the truth

Opensignal's Saudi read puts stc at 49.0% of the market, Mobily at 23.8% and Zain KSA at 14.6%, with virtual operators collectively near 12% and 7.4 million subscribers in early 2026. Zain customers are likeliest to carry a second SIM at about 37%, against 27% at Mobily and about 17% at stc; operators have invested over $1.5 billion in 5G spectrum since 2019.

Argaam

Dual-SIM rates show pre-churn behavior, so focus your pricing and packaging on the second SIM instead of comparing only to a competitor's main plan.

Mohammed Altuwaijri
|
Managing Partner
Government & Public Sector
July 21, 2026
Kicking the maturities to 2041

NDMC redeemed SR17.1bn ($4.5bn) of 2026–2030 sukuk and issued SR17.2bn maturing to 2041, a liability-management exercise.

Source: (Arab News)

The takeaway: A state that manages its maturity curve shows confidence, indicating long-term projects your business might supply.

Abdulrahman Al Mottahar
|
Partner

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