Prepaid cards segment has experienced steady growth in recent years in the Middle East region. Government initiatives across countries, growth in mobile commerce and consumer spending is propelling this segment forward. In GCC region, prepaid cards experienced a growth of 31% over the trailing four quarters ending Q3 2016 in comparison to previous four quarters. Among others, UAE and Saudi Arabia are the frontiers of this development.

1. Prepaid cards slowly growing popular in Middle
Eastern countries
Analyst View Point Series

2. Table of Contents
Market Context
Key Insights
Market Opportunity

3. Market Context
Prepaid cards segment has experienced steady growth in recent years in the Middle
East region. Government initiatives across countries, growth in mobile commerce and
consumer spending is propelling this segment forward. In GCC region, prepaid cards
experienced a growth of 31% over the trailing four quarters ending Q3 2016 in
comparison to previous four quarters. Among others, UAE and Saudi Arabia are the
frontiers of this development.

4. Key Insights
In case of Saudi Arabia, the development is a bit slower and it experienced a bump
when CASHU prepaid cards were reportedly banned in the country. It was stated that
due to money laundering issues and lack of clarity on user count and usage pattern,
Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) had instructed Ministry of Commerce and
Investment to ban its usage. However, CASHU clarified usual business operation in
Saudi Arabia later on. It also announced collaboration SAMA towards improvement in
security standards and e-payment protocols. Overall, Saudi Arabia is going to be a
key market in the Middle East. According to PayNXT360, the prepaid card category in
the country is expected to record CAGR of 25.5% to cross over a billion US dollars in
value terms.

5. Market Opportunity
In UAE, prepaid cards make up a significant share of electronic payments. According
to PayNXT360, the prepaid card market in Gross Dollar Value terms increased at a
CAGR of 22.7% during 2011-2015 in UAE. Over the forecast period of 2016 to 2020,
the category is expected to reach US$ 8.6 billion by 2020. With banks, other financial
institutions, and remittance players keen on increasing expansion in the prepaid
segment, medium to long term outlook remains positive.

6. To Know More
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