Standards/saqr
SAQR
Overview
SAQR is Saudi Arabia's SAMA QR standard — Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority (SAMA) + Saudi Payments-coordinated unified national QR-code platform [1, 2, [sa-cro]]. The platform was developed by Saudi Payments + HPS (Hightech Payment Systems, Moroccan-French payment-technology company) to enable banks, wallet providers, and FinTechs to interact seamlessly within an interoperable platform [3]. The structural distinction: ISO 20022 messaging standard + enables merchants, individual customers, and service providers to be linked together to complete payments using the same QR code regardless of service provider or scheme.
The structural significance: SAMA's SAQR is part of Saudi Arabia's broader payment-system modernisation under Vision 2030 — including mada (national card scheme, modernised 2015), Mada Pay (mobile wallet, 2022), InstaPay (instant rail), STC Pay + others (e-wallets). SAQR provides the unified QR-acceptance layer across this comprehensive ecosystem. All entities previously launching QR-payment services must comply with the technical + commercial requirements and complete technical authorization process with Saudi Payments by end of 2021 — illustrating Saudi Payments' regulatory authority over Saudi QR-payment standardisation. The system supports both static + dynamic QR codes + merchant-presents-QR + consumer-presents-QR modes.
History
Background — Saudi payment landscape SA:
- Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) — central bank.
- Saudi Payments — payment-system operator (SAMA subsidiary).
- mada national card scheme.
- STC Pay, urpay, mobile-wallet ecosystem.
Saudi Payments + HPS partnership [3]:
- HPS appointed by Saudi Payments to provide unified QR-code platform.
SAMA Rulebook QR Code Technology [1]:
- Regulatory framework published in SAMA Rulebook.
Compliance deadline end-2021 [2]:
- All existing QR-payment services must complete technical authorisation with Saudi Payments.
Vision 2030 alignment SA:
- Part of broader Saudi digital-economy modernisation.
Technical specification
SAQR is SAMA + Saudi Payments-coordinated unified national QR platform [1, 2]:
| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Standards body | Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) + Saudi Payments |
| Technology partner | HPS (Hightech Payment Systems) |
| Messaging | ISO 20022 |
| Currency | SAR (Saudi riyal) |
| QR modes | Both static + dynamic; MPM + CPM |
| Compliance deadline | End-2021 (all existing QR services to authorise) |
| Participants | Banks + wallet providers + FinTechs |
HPS partnership [3]:
- HPS (Moroccan-French payment-technology company) provides unified platform.
Single-QR-for-all [2]:
- Same QR code regardless of service provider or scheme.
Use cases
Merchant QR payments (MPM + CPM) [1]: Cardinal use.
Cross-bank + cross-wallet [2]: Unified acceptance.
FinTech participation [2]: Beyond bank-only participation.
Vision 2030 cashless ambitions SA: Strategic role.
Implementations & ecosystem
Standards body: SAMA + Saudi Payments.
Technology partner: HPS (Hightech Payment Systems).
Companion:
- mada (national card scheme).
- Mada Pay (mobile wallet on Mada infrastructure).
- STC Pay, urpay, etc. (Saudi e-wallets).
Major Saudi banks: SNB (Saudi National Bank), Al Rajhi Bank, Riyad Bank, SAB (Saudi Awwal Bank), others.
Fun facts
- HPS partnership: Moroccan-French payment-tech firm contracted.
- End-2021 compliance deadline: All existing Saudi QR services must conform to SAQR standard.
- ISO 20022 from launch: Modern international standard.
- Vision 2030 alignment: Saudi-strategic-ambition context.
- MPM + CPM dual-mode: Comprehensive interaction modes.
- Single-QR-for-all-PSPs: Anti-fragmentation design.
- Saudi Payments-coordinated: SAMA-subsidiary central role.
- Static + dynamic QR: Comprehensive merchant-acceptance flexibility.
Comparison
| Feature | SAQR (SA) | mada (SA companion) | aani (UAE) | qmp-qr (QA) | cliq-qr (JO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standards body | SAMA + Saudi Payments | SAMA + Saudi Payments | Al Etihad Payments (CBUAE) | QCB | JoPACC (public-private) |
| Tech partner | HPS | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Messaging | ISO 20022 | Internal | ISO 20022 | n/a | ISO 20022 |
| Type | National unified QR | National card scheme | Instant payment + QR | Mobile-payment switch + QR | Instant payment + QR |
| Year | ~2020-2021 | 1990 (2015 rebrand) | Oct 2023 | May 2023 | Jun 2020 |
Status
- SAMA + Saudi Payments standards body.
- HPS technology partner.
- End-2021 compliance deadline met.
- ISO 20022-based.
- Static + dynamic, MPM + CPM.
Sources
- 1 SAMA QR Code Technology Rulebook
- 2 SAMA introduces QR-based national payment system
- 3 HPS QR-based national payment system
- [sa-cro]
reports/countries/SA-saudi-arabia.md
Deployments
Found in the following country reports (grep across reports/countries/):
- SA — SA-saudi-arabia.md