Kholoud Hussein 

The Kingdom is no longer simply digitizing public services or investing in technology. It is attempting something far more ambitious: rebuilding its economic architecture around data, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and digital infrastructure. The question is no longer whether Saudi Arabia can diversify beyond oil, but whether it can redefine what a modern digital economy looks like in the Middle East.

The Economy Saudi Arabia Is Really Building

For more than eight decades, Saudi Arabia's economic story has been inseparable from oil. Hydrocarbons transformed the Kingdom from a largely desert economy into one of the world's most influential energy producers, financing decades of infrastructure, industrialization, education, and social development. Oil was not merely a source of government revenue; it became the foundation upon which the modern Saudi state was built.

Today, however, Saudi Arabia is pursuing a transformation that is arguably even more profound than the discovery of oil itself. While much of the global conversation continues to focus on the Kingdom's diversification efforts under Vision 2030, a quieter yet far more consequential shift is unfolding beneath the surface. Saudi Arabia is no longer asking how to reduce its dependence on oil. Instead, it is asking what the country's next economic operating system should look like.

Economic diversification has traditionally meant expanding into new industries, whether tourism, manufacturing, logistics, mining, or entertainment. A digital economy, however, represents something fundamentally different. Rather than creating another sector alongside existing ones, it reshapes every sector simultaneously. It changes how governments deliver services, how companies produce goods, how entrepreneurs build businesses, how consumers spend money, and ultimately how economic value itself is created.

In this new model, data becomes a productive asset. Algorithms become economic infrastructure. Cloud computing replaces physical limitations. Artificial intelligence evolves from a technological tool into a driver of productivity, competitiveness, and innovation. The economy becomes less dependent on physical resources and increasingly powered by digital capabilities that transcend geography.

Saudi Arabia's ambitions therefore extend well beyond becoming a technology hub or attracting multinational technology companies. The Kingdom is attempting to redesign the foundations of its economy so that digital technologies become embedded across government, finance, healthcare, education, manufacturing, logistics, energy, and commerce. Success will not be measured by the number of technology companies operating in Riyadh or the volume of venture capital invested in startups alone. It will be determined by whether digital technologies become the default mechanism through which economic activity is created, exchanged, and scaled.

This is precisely why Saudi Arabia's digital transformation deserves to be viewed through an economic rather than a technological lens. Around the world, many countries have successfully digitized government services or expanded internet connectivity. Far fewer have attempted to rebuild their entire economic model around digital capabilities.

The Kingdom believes it can become one of them.

Yet ambition alone has never transformed economies. History offers countless examples of countries that invested billions in technology parks, innovation districts, and digital infrastructure without fundamentally changing how their economies functioned. Building a digital economy requires far more than laying fiber-optic cables or launching government applications. It requires rethinking regulation, attracting capital, cultivating entrepreneurial talent, building trust in digital services, encouraging private-sector innovation, and ensuring that digital technologies generate productivity rather than merely convenience.

Saudi Arabia's challenge, therefore, is not simply technological. It is structural.

The Kingdom must prove that digital transformation can become an engine of sustainable economic growth capable of generating new industries, creating high-value employment, increasing productivity, and positioning Saudi Arabia as a global exporter of digital innovation rather than a consumer of imported technologies.

It is an ambition that reaches beyond Vision 2030 itself. It is about defining what the Saudi economy looks like long after oil ceases to dominate global growth.

More Than Diversification: Redefining Economic Value

When policymakers first began speaking about economic diversification in Saudi Arabia, the objective appeared relatively straightforward: reduce dependence on oil revenues by expanding sectors such as tourism, mining, manufacturing, entertainment, logistics, and financial services. These industries would create new jobs, attract foreign investment, and generate alternative sources of national income.

A decade later, that conversation has evolved significantly. Today, diversification is increasingly viewed not as an end goal but as one component of a much larger economic transformation. The emergence of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, advanced analytics, and digital platforms has fundamentally altered how wealth is created in the global economy. Competitive advantage is no longer determined solely by natural resources or industrial capacity. It is increasingly shaped by a country's ability to generate, process, and commercialize data.

This shift helps explain why Saudi Arabia's investments in digital infrastructure have accelerated alongside investments in traditional economic sectors. The Kingdom is not merely building new industries; it is building the digital foundations upon which those industries will operate. The distinction is subtle but profound.

A tourism strategy can increase visitor numbers. A digital economy transforms the entire tourism value chain, from digital visas and intelligent transportation systems to AI-powered hospitality services, cashless payments, predictive demand forecasting, and personalized travel experiences. Manufacturing no longer depends exclusively on factories but on connected supply chains, industrial automation, predictive maintenance, and real-time analytics. Financial services become embedded into digital platforms rather than confined to bank branches.

In this sense, digital transformation ceases to be an ICT initiative and becomes national economic policy.

This is one of the defining characteristics of Saudi Arabia's approach. Rather than treating technology as a standalone industry, policymakers increasingly present digital capabilities as horizontal enablers capable of increasing productivity across virtually every sector identified in Vision 2030.

The result is a new understanding of economic value. Instead of asking how many barrels of oil the Kingdom exports, policymakers are beginning to ask how many digital transactions are processed daily, how much private capital flows into technology ventures, how many startups commercialize locally developed innovations, and how effectively data can be transformed into economic output.

Such questions would have seemed peripheral to Saudi Arabia's economic strategy only a decade ago. Today, they sit much closer to its center.

And perhaps that is the clearest indication that Saudi Arabia is pursuing something more ambitious than diversification. It is attempting to redefine the very mechanisms through which economic growth is generated.

Building the Digital Backbone: Why Infrastructure Became Saudi Arabia's New Strategic Resource

Every industrial revolution has depended on infrastructure. The railways powered the first age of industrialization. Electricity transformed manufacturing in the twentieth century. Highways connected national markets and accelerated trade. Today, the infrastructure that determines economic competitiveness is far less visible. It consists of fiber-optic cables buried beneath cities, hyperscale data centers, cloud computing platforms, artificial intelligence clusters, and billions of digital transactions flowing silently through secure networks every day.

Saudi Arabia recognized early that becoming a digital economy would require far more than launching government applications or encouraging online commerce. Digital services can only flourish when supported by an infrastructure capable of processing vast amounts of data securely, reliably, and at scale. In other words, before building digital businesses, the Kingdom first had to build a digital backbone.

That realization has fundamentally shaped Saudi Arabia's digital strategy over the past decade.

Unlike many countries where digital infrastructure evolved gradually through private-sector investments, Saudi Arabia adopted a coordinated national approach. Government entities, regulators, sovereign wealth funds, and global technology companies have worked simultaneously to establish the physical and regulatory foundations of the digital economy. The objective has never been limited to improving internet speeds or expanding telecommunications coverage. Instead, the Kingdom has sought to create an environment where digital businesses can emerge, scale, and compete internationally.

This explains why investments in telecommunications infrastructure have been accompanied by equally significant reforms in digital governance, cybersecurity, cloud regulation, spectrum allocation, and data management. Digital infrastructure, in the Saudi context, is viewed not as a utility but as a productive economic asset capable of attracting investment, reducing transaction costs, and increasing national competitiveness.

The impact of this strategy becomes particularly evident when examining how businesses now operate. A startup launching today in Riyadh enters a fundamentally different environment than one established only ten years ago. Cloud services can be deployed almost instantly. Payment systems are increasingly integrated. Government licensing has become significantly faster. Digital identity solutions simplify customer onboarding, while advanced logistics and communications networks enable companies to reach customers across the Kingdom with unprecedented efficiency.

For entrepreneurs, this infrastructure removes many of the barriers that once slowed business creation. For investors, it reduces operational risk. For multinational corporations, it provides the confidence to establish regional operations capable of serving broader Middle Eastern markets.

In many respects, infrastructure has become Saudi Arabia's most important competitive advantage.

This advantage extends well beyond connectivity. The Kingdom has increasingly positioned itself as a regional destination for cloud computing, recognizing that data storage and processing capacity will become as strategically important in the twenty-first century as ports, highways, and industrial zones were in previous decades.

The arrival of global technology companies reflects this shift. International cloud providers have announced significant investments in Saudi Arabia, encouraged by regulatory reforms, expanding demand, and the government's commitment to developing local digital capabilities. Rather than exporting data abroad, Saudi Arabia is gradually building the capacity to process, store, and analyze information domestically, strengthening both economic resilience and digital sovereignty.

The importance of cloud infrastructure cannot be overstated. Artificial intelligence applications require enormous computing power. Digital banking depends on secure cloud environments. Smart factories generate millions of data points daily. Autonomous transport systems rely on real-time information processing. None of these innovations can scale without robust digital infrastructure operating continuously behind the scenes.

As digital technologies become embedded across every industry, infrastructure itself begins to influence productivity. Faster networks reduce business costs. Secure cloud environments accelerate innovation. Reliable digital identity systems simplify financial transactions. Integrated government platforms reduce administrative burdens. Each improvement may appear incremental, yet together they reshape how economic activity occurs.

This transformation has also altered the relationship between the public and private sectors.

Historically, governments built roads, airports, and power stations while businesses invested in commercial opportunities. In the digital economy, these roles increasingly overlap. Governments establish digital platforms and regulatory frameworks, while private companies build products and services on top of them. The result is a more collaborative model in which public infrastructure creates opportunities for private innovation rather than replacing it.

Saudi Arabia's digital government initiatives illustrate this evolution particularly well. Instead of merely digitizing paperwork, government agencies have developed interoperable digital platforms that businesses can integrate directly into their operations. Entrepreneurs no longer spend weeks navigating administrative procedures that once required multiple physical visits to government offices. Licensing, taxation, customs, and regulatory compliance are increasingly handled through integrated digital systems, allowing companies to devote more resources to growth and innovation.

This seemingly administrative transformation carries profound economic implications. Time, after all, is one of the most valuable resources for any entrepreneur. Reducing bureaucratic friction does more than improve convenience; it lowers the cost of doing business. For startups operating with limited capital and tight timelines, these efficiencies can determine whether a company succeeds or fails.

Infrastructure has therefore become an invisible form of venture capital. Instead of financing individual companies, the government finances the environment in which thousands of companies can emerge.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure strategy is that it has been designed with future technologies in mind rather than current demand alone. Investments in artificial intelligence, edge computing, high-performance cloud services, cybersecurity, and advanced connectivity anticipate an economy that does not yet fully exist but is expected to emerge over the coming decades.

This long-term perspective distinguishes infrastructure planning from many earlier digital initiatives around the world, which often focused on solving immediate administrative problems. Saudi Arabia is instead attempting to create digital capacity before demand reaches its peak, positioning itself to capture future industries rather than reacting to them after they mature elsewhere.

Yet infrastructure alone cannot produce innovation.

Fiber-optic networks do not create startups. Data centers do not invent new business models. Artificial intelligence platforms do not automatically generate globally competitive companies. They provide the conditions under which innovation becomes possible, but they cannot substitute for entrepreneurship itself.

That is where the private sector enters the story.

As Saudi Arabia's digital foundations have matured, a new generation of startups has begun transforming public investment into commercial opportunity. They are not merely benefiting from the Kingdom's digital transformation; increasingly, they are becoming the mechanism through which that transformation reaches consumers, businesses, and global markets.

The digital backbone may have been built by national strategy, but its true economic value will ultimately be measured by the companies that grow upon it.

The Startup Layer: Where National Strategy Meets Entrepreneurial Innovation

Governments can build infrastructure. They can modernize regulations, invest in artificial intelligence, establish cloud regions, and digitize public services. Yet history has consistently shown that governments rarely create the innovations that transform everyday economic life. Those breakthroughs almost always emerge from entrepreneurs who recognize market inefficiencies long before policymakers do.

Saudi Arabia appears to understand this distinction. While much international attention has focused on the Kingdom's multi-billion-dollar investments in digital infrastructure and flagship projects such as NEOM, an equally significant transformation has been unfolding within its entrepreneurial ecosystem. Over the past decade, startups have evolved from peripheral players into one of the principal instruments through which the Kingdom's digital ambitions are being translated into commercial reality.

This shift represents a fundamental change in how economic development is being pursued.

For decades, economic growth in Saudi Arabia was largely driven by public expenditure. Government investments created industries, generated employment, and stimulated private activity. Today's digital economy, however, operates according to different rules. Innovation moves too quickly to be directed exclusively through public institutions. Consumer preferences evolve faster than regulation. Technologies become obsolete within years rather than decades. Under these conditions, entrepreneurship becomes not merely desirable but indispensable.

The Kingdom's role, therefore, has gradually evolved from being the primary driver of economic activity to becoming an enabler of entrepreneurial innovation.

This philosophy is increasingly visible across the Saudi startup landscape.

Rather than attempting to build digital services directly, public institutions have concentrated on creating the conditions in which private companies can solve market problems more efficiently. The result is an ecosystem where government provides the infrastructure, regulatory certainty, and access to capital, while entrepreneurs compete to create scalable solutions for consumers and businesses alike.

It is a relationship that has become one of the defining characteristics of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in electronic commerce.

Only a decade ago, launching an online retail business in Saudi Arabia presented significant logistical and operational challenges. Payment systems remained fragmented. Small businesses struggled to establish digital storefronts. Inventory management, shipping integration, customer analytics, and marketing tools were often inaccessible or prohibitively expensive for entrepreneurs.

Today, much of that complexity has disappeared.

Companies such as Salla and Zid have fundamentally changed how commerce operates across the Kingdom. Rather than simply providing website-building software, these platforms have developed integrated ecosystems that allow thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises to establish digital businesses with unprecedented speed. Payments, logistics, inventory management, marketing automation, customer engagement, and analytics are increasingly delivered through unified digital platforms, lowering the barriers to entrepreneurship for an entirely new generation of business owners.

In doing so, these companies have accomplished something larger than technological innovation. They have democratized access to entrepreneurship itself.

A similar transformation has occurred within financial technology.

Traditional banking systems often struggle to serve rapidly evolving digital businesses whose operational models differ significantly from conventional enterprises. Fintech startups have emerged precisely because they can respond more quickly to changing customer expectations.

Companies such as Tamara, which pioneered the rapid adoption of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services across the Gulf, have redefined consumer finance for younger generations accustomed to seamless digital experiences. Rather than viewing finance as a standalone banking product, these companies have embedded financial services directly into digital commerce, shortening purchasing journeys and expanding access to credit.

The significance of this innovation extends beyond consumer convenience.

Embedded finance fundamentally changes how money circulates within the economy. Transactions become faster, merchants experience improved cash flow, consumers gain greater purchasing flexibility, and digital commerce accelerates. What appears to be a simple payment option ultimately increases economic activity across multiple sectors simultaneously.

Equally transformative has been the emergence of Saudi startups specializing in artificial intelligence.

While much global discussion surrounding AI continues to revolve around large language models and consumer-facing applications, several Saudi companies have chosen a different path, focusing on enterprise solutions tailored to regional markets.

Companies such as Mozn have demonstrated how artificial intelligence can address highly specialized challenges in financial crime detection, compliance, fraud prevention, and risk management. Their success illustrates an important evolution within Saudi entrepreneurship. Rather than replicating Silicon Valley consumer applications, an increasing number of Saudi startups are developing technologies designed to solve complex business and institutional problems.

This transition from consumer applications to enterprise technology represents a critical milestone in any innovation ecosystem.

It indicates that entrepreneurship is beginning to create intellectual property rather than simply adapting existing business models.

A similar trend can be observed in companies like Lucidya, whose artificial intelligence platform enables organizations to analyze Arabic-language digital conversations across social media and online channels. By developing technologies specifically optimized for Arabic, Lucidya addresses a challenge largely overlooked by many global software providers.

Its competitive advantage lies not merely in technology, but in contextual understanding.

This highlights another defining characteristic of Saudi Arabia's startup ecosystem. Increasingly, local companies are identifying opportunities that international competitors cannot easily replicate because they require deep familiarity with regional languages, consumer behavior, regulatory frameworks, and business culture.

In many ways, localization itself has become a strategic advantage.

The construction and industrial sectors offer another compelling example.

Saudi Arabia's unprecedented investment in megaprojects has created demand for digital solutions capable of improving safety, productivity, and operational efficiency. Companies such as WakeCap have responded by integrating wearable technologies and real-time analytics into construction sites, enabling project managers to monitor workforce movements, improve safety standards, and optimize project execution through data-driven insights.

These innovations may appear highly specialized, yet their cumulative economic impact is substantial.

Construction productivity influences infrastructure delivery. Infrastructure affects logistics. Logistics shapes manufacturing competitiveness. The ripple effects extend throughout the broader economy.

The same pattern is emerging across healthcare, education, logistics, cybersecurity, climate technology, and industrial automation.

They identify inefficiencies invisible to large institutions and transform them into scalable business opportunities.

That capacity for experimentation may ultimately become one of Saudi Arabia's greatest competitive advantages.

Unlike traditional economic development strategies, which often depend upon large industrial investments with long implementation cycles, startups compress innovation into months rather than years. New products are tested rapidly, customer feedback is incorporated continuously, and successful models scale across markets with remarkable speed.

This entrepreneurial agility has become increasingly important as digital technologies evolve faster than regulatory frameworks can adapt.

Recognizing this reality, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily not only in startups themselves but in the ecosystem surrounding them.

Events such as LEAP have evolved into global platforms connecting founders with venture capitalists, multinational technology companies, policymakers, and institutional investors. Initiatives led by Monsha'at, the National Technology Development Program (NTDP), and innovation hubs such as The Garage have sought to reduce many of the structural obstacles traditionally associated with entrepreneurship, including access to funding, mentorship, technical expertise, and international networks.

The Public Investment Fund has further reinforced this momentum by channeling significant capital into technology-focused initiatives and attracting global venture investors to the Kingdom.

The cumulative effect is becoming increasingly visible. Saudi Arabia is no longer merely producing successful startups. It is beginning to produce an innovation economy. A startup ecosystem measures the number of companies created.

An innovation economy measures how effectively those companies reshape productivity, generate intellectual property, attract global capital, and create entirely new industries.

Saudi Arabia appears increasingly focused on the latter.

Yet becoming the Middle East's first truly digital economy will require more than a vibrant startup ecosystem. It will require demonstrating that digital technologies can transform not only new companies, but also traditional industries that continue to account for the overwhelming majority of national output.

The next phase of Saudi Arabia's transformation, therefore, may prove to be its most difficult: extending digital innovation beyond startups and embedding it into the wider economy, from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare, tourism, mining, and energy itself.

Mohamed Ramzy

Egypt's fintech sector is undergoing a period of rapid transformation, driven by the expansion of digital transformation, growing adoption of non-banking financial services, and continuous improvements to the regulatory landscape. These developments have enabled startups to introduce increasingly innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of both consumers and businesses.

Amid these changes, competition among fintech companies is no longer limited to offering payment or financing services. It has expanded to include the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to build integrated financial platforms that deliver more seamless and personalized user experiences.

Klivvr is one of the companies embracing this shift. In a relatively short period, it has evolved from a digital financial services platform into a comprehensive financial ecosystem that combines payments, consumer finance, cards, and intelligent financial services, with technology serving as the primary driver of its growth.

In this interview, Sharikat Mubasher spoke to Omar Sherif, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Klivvr, who discussed the company's growth trajectory, the role of artificial intelligence in shaping its products, the impact of support from Orascom Financial Holding, as well as his outlook on the future of fintech and Klivvr's expansion plans.

Klivvr has grown rapidly in a short period. How would you assess the company's performance today?

Since launching Klivvr, our objective has been to build a customer base driven by genuine engagement rather than simply increasing the number of registered users. We have focused on developing services that make the app an essential part of customers' everyday financial lives, and that strategy has clearly translated into strong usage metrics.

Today, the platform serves more than 700,000 users, including approximately 250,000 monthly active users, while around 25,000 customers use the app every day. We consider these figures far more meaningful than the total number of registered users because they reflect the extent to which customers rely on the platform for their daily financial transactions.

Going forward, we will continue expanding our user base while enhancing our services, all while maintaining the high-quality user experience that defines Klivvr.

Klivvr is backed by Orascom Financial Holding. How has this support accelerated the company's growth?

Being part of Orascom Financial Holding, together with the involvement of Onsi Sawiris as a co-founder, has added tremendous value to Klivvr since its inception. This goes beyond strengthening customer confidence; it has also provided us with invaluable strategic business expertise.

His continued participation in discussing the company's strategy, combined with his extensive network, has helped accelerate our growth and opened up new opportunities for Klivvr.

We see this relationship as much more than a financial investment. It is a genuine strategic partnership that actively contributes to building and developing the company.

Klivvr aims to build a fully integrated financial platform. How have the company's services evolved?

From the outset, our vision was never to offer a single service, whether in payments or financing. Instead, we set out to build a comprehensive financial ecosystem that addresses customers' diverse financial needs through one application.

The launch of our payment cards marked an important milestone in driving daily engagement with the platform. The cards now serve as a payment tool alongside our consumer finance services, enabling users to manage a significant portion of their financial activities within a single platform.

We are also preparing to launch a new feature that will allow customers to access their approved consumer finance credit limit directly through their cards, once we receive the necessary regulatory approvals.

Artificial intelligence has become a major focus across the fintech industry. How is Klivvr leveraging AI?

Artificial intelligence is now one of our top investment priorities because it has become a fundamental component of financial services improvement and customer experience enhancement.

We use AI technologies to deliver a more personalized experience for every user by analyzing financial behavior and recommending products and offers that best match individual needs.

AI also plays a key role in assessing creditworthiness and managing risk, helping us make better financing decisions while reducing default rates. In addition, these technologies support our internal teams by improving operational efficiency and accelerating product development.

From our perspective, artificial intelligence will become the cornerstone of the fintech industry over the coming years because of its ability to enhance efficiency while delivering faster, smarter, and more accurate financial services.

How do you view the growth opportunities in the Egyptian market?

The Egyptian market remains our largest growth opportunity. We believe the fintech sector is still in its early stages, and there are broad customer segments that have yet to benefit fully from digital financial services.

That is why we have invested heavily in building a robust technology infrastructure that enables us to scale quickly and efficiently within Egypt, while continuously developing products and services that meet customers' evolving needs.

What about Klivvr's plans to expand beyond Egypt?

Regional expansion is certainly part of our long-term strategy, but it is not our immediate priority. For now, our focus remains on achieving our objectives within the Egyptian market.

When we decide to enter new markets, expansion will not be pursued for its own sake. Instead, we will adopt the model that creates the greatest value, whether through organic growth, strategic partnerships, or acquisitions, depending on the characteristics of each market and the opportunities it presents.

How do you see Klivvr's future as the fintech industry continues to evolve rapidly?

Over the coming period, we will continue investing in technology and product innovation while expanding our customer base and strengthening our position in the Egyptian market.

We firmly believe that the future of financial services will be increasingly driven by data and artificial intelligence. That is why we continue investing in these technologies to deliver smarter, more efficient, and more user-friendly solutions that enhance the customer experience and support Klivvr's long-term growth.

Translation by: Ghada Ismail

Noha Gad

Artificial intelligence is making business faster, smarter, and more efficient, paving the way for groundbreaking developments in recent years. Though most innovations have been positive, the rise of AI has also led to the emergence of deepfakes that are used for more harmful purposes, including fraud and deception.

Deepfake attacks can target executives, finance teams, employees, and even customers, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and security breaches, representing a business risk that can manipulate decisions. That is why it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to understand how these attacks work and how to protect themselves from them.

What are deepfake attacks?

A deepfake attack is a cyber-enabled deception where AI creates or alters audio, video, or images to convincingly impersonate a real person. Creating a deepfake is a complex process requiring vast amounts of data and computing power to help AI learn how to replicate the person's voice, appearance, and mannerisms. These digitally altered likenesses have the potential to reshape public opinion, damage reputations, and even sway political landscapes.

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) are clear examples of deepfakes. A GAN can be thought of as two AI systems in a digital tug-of-war. One AI, the generator, tries to generate fake content that looks real. The other, the discriminator, judges whether the content is real or fake. As the process iterates countlessly, each round makes the fake content more and more difficult to distinguish.

Deepfakes are at a crossroads between being a remarkable technological breakthrough and acting as a tool for deception. On one side, they offer exciting possibilities for the creative industries, such as filmmaking, gaming, and virtual reality. On the other side, their potential for abuse in spreading misinformation or malicious content cannot be ignored.

Why are startups especially exposed to deepfake attacks?

Startups need to treat deepfake attacks as a real business issue from the beginning, not something to address only after an incident happens. Unlike larger companies, startups usually have fewer layers of review. A fake message, voice note, or video from a founder, investor, or senior leader can be enough to trigger an urgent transfer, share sensitive data, or approve an action without enough checks.

Founders and executives usually share a lot of content across social media, interviews, webinars, and podcasts, which gives attackers material to imitate their voice, face, or style of speaking. At the same time, many startups do not yet have strong security policies or dedicated training, making them easier targets.

How can startups prepare for a deepfake attack?

The best defense against deepfake attacks is a mix of people, process, and technology. Companies should require multi-factor authentication, use callback verification for sensitive requests, and set clear approval rules for payments, data access, and executive instructions. Auditing the AI tool stack is a primary step to get ready and prevent deepfake attacks. Startups must find out the tools that teams actually use, as every voice note or video uploaded to these apps can be at risk of becoming training data for someone’s future scam. 

Startups should also require multi-factor authentication, use callback verification for sensitive requests, and set clear approval rules for payments, data access, and executive instructions. Employee training is also essential, as teams need to know how to spot warning signs, such as urgent messages, unusual tone or phrasing, and requests that bypass normal procedures. 

Building a response plan is another key step to prevent deepfake attacks. The plan should define who handles the issue, how it gets escalated, and how the company communicates internally and externally if a fake message or video spreads. It also helps to prepare templates in advance for internal alerts and public clarification.

Founders and early employees should be extra cautious about messages that claim to come from investors, partners, or executives. A small startup can lower its risk significantly by creating a culture where verification is normal, and no one feels pressured to act quickly without checking first.

Deepfake attacks are no longer a distant threat or a problem reserved for large corporations. As AI becomes more accessible, startups and businesses of all sizes must assume that fake audio, video, and images can be used to impersonate trusted people and manipulate critical decisions. By combining employee awareness, clear verification procedures, strong authentication, and a prepared response plan, startups can build a much stronger defense against deepfake attacks.

Ghada Ismail

In the first part of this series, we explored why media buying matters for startups and how a well-planned advertising strategy can help young businesses reach the right audience. We also discussed the role of a media buyer in managing campaigns, optimizing budgets, and improving return on investment.

In Part Two, we will build on that foundation by examining the different types of media buying available to startups. Understanding these options can help founders choose the channels and buying methods that best align with their goals, target audience, and stage of growth.

Traditional Media Buying

Traditional media buying refers to purchasing advertising space through offline channels. Although digital advertising has become dominant, traditional media can still be valuable for startups seeking broad brand awareness.

• Television advertising: Suitable for startups targeting a large audience, though it often requires a significant budget.
• Radio advertising: Effective for local businesses and startups aiming to reach commuters or regional audiences.
• Print advertising: Useful for reaching niche audiences through newspapers, magazines, and industry publications.
• Outdoor advertising: Includes billboards, transit ads, and posters, which can help increase local visibility.

Traditional media buying can enhance credibility and brand recognition, but it may offer less precise targeting compared to digital channels.

Digital Media Buying

Digital media buying involves purchasing advertising space on online platforms. This is often the most practical option for startups because it offers detailed targeting, measurable results, and flexible budgeting.

• Search engine advertising: Ads appear on search engine results pages when users search for relevant keywords.
• Social media advertising: Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X allow startups to target users based on demographics, interests, and behavior.
• Display advertising: Banner and visual ads appear on websites, apps, and online publications.
• Video advertising: Ads are shown before, during, or after online video content on platforms such as YouTube.

Digital media buying is particularly attractive for startups because campaigns can be adjusted quickly based on performance data.

Programmatic Media Buying

Programmatic media buying uses automated technology to purchase digital advertising space in real time. Instead of negotiating directly with publishers, advertisers use software platforms to bid for ad placements based on audience data.

• Real-time bidding (RTB): Advertisers bid for ad impressions as they become available.
• Private marketplace (PMP): Premium publishers offer ad inventory to selected advertisers through invitation-only auctions.
• Programmatic direct: Advertisers purchase ad inventory directly from publishers at a fixed price.

Programmatic buying allows startups to target specific audiences efficiently and optimize campaigns automatically.

Performance-Based Media Buying

Performance-based media buying focuses on paying for measurable results rather than simply paying for ad placement. This model is especially valuable for startups because it aligns advertising costs with business outcomes.

• Cost per click (CPC): Payment occurs when a user clicks on the ad.
• Cost per acquisition (CPA): Payment occurs when a user completes a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up.
• Cost per lead (CPL): The startup pays for each qualified lead generated through the campaign.
• Cost per thousand impressions (Cost Per Mille or CPM): Payment is based on the number of times the ad is displayed.

Performance-based buying helps startups track ROI more accurately and allocate budgets to the channels that generate the best results.

Influencer and Native Media Buying

Influencer marketing and native advertising are increasingly popular media buying strategies for startups seeking authentic audience engagement.

• Influencer marketing: Startups partner with influencers to promote products or services to their followers.
• Native advertising: Ads are designed to match the format and style of the platform where they appear, making them less disruptive to users. For example: A fintech startup might sponsor an article on a business website titled “How Small Businesses Can Improve Cash Flow Management.” The article provides useful information while also mentioning the startup’s payment solution. Because it resembles regular editorial content and provides value to readers, it is considered native advertising.

These approaches can help startups build trust and reach targeted audiences in a more organic way.

Choosing the Right Media Buying Type

The best media buying strategy depends on a startup’s goals, target audience, budget, and growth stage.

• For brand awareness: Digital display ads, social media ads, and outdoor advertising can be effective.
• For lead generation: Search engine advertising and performance-based campaigns are often the best options.
• For niche targeting: Direct media buying, influencer marketing, and native advertising can deliver strong results.
• For scalable growth: Programmatic media buying allows startups to optimize campaigns efficiently as they expand.

To Wrap Things Up…

As we continue this media buying series, it becomes clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for startups. Each type of media buying offers unique advantages, and the right choice depends on the startup’s objectives, audience, and available resources.

For many early-stage startups, digital and performance-based media buying provide the most accessible and measurable starting points. As the business grows, programmatic, direct, and traditional media buying can become valuable additions to a broader marketing strategy.

Noha Gad

Email has become one of the most familiar tools in everyday life, used for work, communication, and now even financial transactions. As digital banking continues to evolve, it has created faster and easier ways to send money without relying on traditional methods, such as cash, checks, or in-person transfers.

One of the most practical examples of this shift is email money transfer (EMT), a payment method that allows people to send funds using only an email address. It offers a simple alternative for personal payments, shared expenses, and small business transactions, especially when speed and convenience matter.

What is an email money transfer and how does it work?

An EMT is a retail banking service that allows users to transfer funds between personal accounts using email and their online banking service. Commonly used in Canada, EMTs are provided by the largest banking institutions and are considered a secure way to transfer money.

An EMT works through a simple online banking process. The sender logs in to their bank account, chooses the option to send money, and enters the recipient’s email address along with the amount to be transferred. In many cases, the sender sets up a security question or verification step so that only the intended recipient can claim the money. Once the transfer is sent, the recipient gets a notification by email with instructions on how to accept the payment.

EMTs offer several practical benefits that make people use them in everyday payments. This includes:

• Convenience: EMTs make sending money much easier, as they can be done online in a few steps. Users do not need to visit a bank branch or handle cash, which saves time and effort.
• Swift transfers: In many cases, the recipient is notified almost immediately after the transfer is sent. This makes EMTs a useful option when users need to transfer money quickly.
• Simplicity: The process is usually straightforward and does not require complicated banking details. Most people only need an email address and access to online banking.
• Privacy and security: Since the transfer is handled through secure banking channels, users do not have to share sensitive account information directly. This adds an extra layer of protection in everyday transactions.

Although EMTs are convenient, they are not always the best option in every situation. Like any payment method, it has a few limitations that users should understand before relying on it:

• Availability: An EMT is not offered by every bank or financial institution. In some cases, both the sender and recipient must have accounts with participating institutions for the transfer to work.
• Transfer limits: Many providers place limits on how much money can be sent in a single transaction or within a certain period. This can make it less suitable for larger payments.
• Security questions: Some transfers rely on security questions or passwords to release the funds. If these are forgotten, shared incorrectly, or guessed by someone else, it can create problems.
• Fees and charges: Some banks and service providers apply fees to send or receive money. These charges make the method less attractive for some users.

EMTs can be a useful payment option for small businesses, freelancers, and service providers who want a simple way to receive funds. It is often used for invoice payments, deposits, and smaller transactions where speed and convenience matter. It is especially practical for businesses that handle lower-value payments, such as consultants, tutors, local service providers, or small online sellers. 

Finally, EMTs have become a practical part of modern digital banking thanks to their speed, convenience, and simplicity. They are useful for everyday personal transfers and small business payments, where moving money quickly and securely is often the top priority. However, users should keep in mind possible limits, fees, and availability issues before choosing this option, especially for larger or more complex transactions. 

Roudny Nahed, Partnership Manager at MusicGrid

Not long ago, branding was largely a visual exercise. Companies competed through logos, typography, colors,and carefully designedvisual identities. Today, however, brandsinteract with people through far more touchpoints than ever before. Mobile apps, digital banking, podcasts, connected cars, retail environments, customer service, and voice assistants have transformed how consumers experience brands. In this new landscape, sound has becomean essential part of brand identity.

The question is no longer whethersound matters. The question is whether brandsare using it intentionally.

For many businesses across the Middle East, sonic branding is still viewed as something reserved for advertising campaignsor television commercials. In reality, it is much more than a memorable melody. A sonic identity is a strategic system that gives a brand a consistent voice across every customer interaction, reinforcing recognition, trust, and emotional connection.

The region is entering a period where this distinction will become increasingly important.

Across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and the wider GCC, businesses are investing heavily in digital transformation and customer experience. Governments are encouraging innovation, while private organizations compete to differentiate themselves in increasingly crowded markets. Visual branding alone is no longer enoughto create memorable experiences. Brands now need identities that can be heard as clearly as they can be seen.

What makes this particularly interesting is that the MiddleEast possesses one of the richest cultural soundscapes in the world.

Every city has its own rhythm. Every region carries distinct musical traditions, instruments, dialects, and emotional cues that instantly create a senseof place. The challenge is not a lack of cultural identity, it is translating that identity into modern brand experiences.

Too often, organizations adopt generic music that could belong to any company in any market. While visuallythey present themselves as local, authentic, and culturally connected, their audio tells a completely different story. The result is a disconnect between what customers see and what they hear.

The brands that will lead tomorroware those that bridgethis gap.

Creating a regional sonic identity does not simply mean adding traditional instruments to a composition. It requires understanding how culture influences emotion, how audiencesinterpret musical elements, and how audio can evolve across different channels while remaining unmistakably recognizable. The goal is not to sound traditional. The goal is to sound authentic.

This approach becomes increasingly valuable as organizations expand their customer touchpoints. A customer might first hear a brand while using a banking application, later encounter it inside a branch, then hear it again duringan event, on social media, orwhile waiting on a customer service line. Every interaction contributes to memory. Consistency across these moments creates familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.

Research consistently shows that people process sound faster than many visual cues, making audio one of the quickest ways to triggerrecognition and emotion.When used strategically, a sonic identity becomesmore than background music—it becomes an extension of the brand's personality.

For the MiddleEast, this represents a significant opportunity.

As the region continuesto invest in tourism, entertainment, financial services, hospitality, and smart cities, brands are competing on experience rather than products alone. Experience is inherently multisensory, and sound is one of its most powerful yet underutilized dimensions.

The conversation around branding in the region is evolving. We are moving beyond asking how a brandlooks and beginning to ask how it feels,how it behaves, and increasingly, how it sounds.

The organizations that embrace this shift today will not simply create stronger campaigns. They will build stronger memories. In a marketplace where attention is increasingly difficult to earn and even harderto retain, a distinctive sonicidentity can becomeone of the most valuableassets a brand owns.

The Middle East has always had a powerful voice. The next step is ensuring its brands do too.

Noha Gad

Saudi Arabia is moving decisively from AI experimentation to large-scale national implementation, with conversational AI and intelligent chat systems emerging as a central pillar of its Vision 2030 economic transformation. According to recent figures released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), 98.1% of establishments in Saudi Arabia had internet access, with nearly 33.1% of them using AI technologies across various activities.

The ‘Establishments ICT Access and Usage Statistics 2025’ report found that the use of digital services among establishments expanded in 2025, as the usage rate of e-government services reached 93.2%. Additionally, 79.1% of respondents use the internet for conducting electronic banking services, while 55.2% of establishments use social media platforms for advertising. 

A survey conducted by the Saudi Center for Opinion Polling in 2025 stated that 49% of the Saudi population uses AI tools, with 31% interacting with AI on a daily basis. Individuals use AI tools across various aspects of life: personal (29%), work (31%), study (22%), and home (18%).

These numbers signal a tipping point in the Kingdom’s digital transformation. High internet penetration and rapid AI adoption among businesses are converting piecemeal pilots into scalable, economy-wide systems that improve efficiency, broaden access to services, and create new value chains.

Conversational AI and intelligent chat systems are being embedded across public services, banking, retail, healthcare, and tourism to automate routine tasks, personalize customer journeys, and support decision-making with real-time data.  As Saudi organizations move from using AI for isolated functions to deploying it as a core operational capability, the Kingdom is positioning itself to export digital services, attract tech investment, and build a skilled AI workforce, turning high adoption figures into tangible economic and social outcomes.

AI chatbots in banking 

The rapid expansion of fintech in Saudi Arabia, fueled by Vision 2030, has positioned AI as the central driver of this transformation. Financial services are being reimagined through AI, where algorithms and automation augment human expertise, thereby eliminating long queues, stacks of paperwork, and rigid approval processes. 

Chatbots powered by intelligent large language models (LLMs) have transformed into digital concierges as they do not merely answer balance queries but anticipate customer needs, suggesting micro-investments, alerting on spending habits, or tailoring loan options. This personalization, made possible by AI in fintech, is rapidly becoming the benchmark for customer-centric finance in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Chatbots have significantly enhanced customer service performance, improved customer satisfaction, and raised the productivity of bank personnel.

Traditional financial systems usually take days or even weeks to manually process credit scoring, compliance checks, or customer onboarding. The integration of AI into bank operations has dramatically compressed these timelines. Machine learning (ML) systems can process enormous amounts of structured and unstructured data at a pace impossible for human teams. For instance, know-your-customer (KYC) verifications that once involved lengthy document trails are now automated. A model trained on behavioral and biometric patterns can confirm identity within seconds, reducing friction for the client and minimizing the risk of error.

As speed alone would be insufficient if trust were not equally reinforced, Saudi institutions are embedding fintech machine learning deep into their security infrastructure.  ML analyzes each transaction not in isolation but in the context of millions of historical data points. Subtle anomalies, such as unusual device login, atypical transaction frequency, or geographic discrepancies, trigger automated alerts. What once took analysts hours to detect now unfolds in real time. AI technologies also play a central role in providing personalized services as predictive models map individual spending patterns, saving behaviors, and life events to deliver highly specific product recommendations.

Care without waiting

Healthcare chatbots are AI-powered virtual assistants that can chat with patients through text or voice, answering questions, booking appointments, and providing health information, using natural language processing, all without human intervention. These chatbots are revolutionizing healthcare in Saudi hospitals and clinics as they offer 24/7 support, reduce appointment wait times, and improve patient engagement. According to Grand View Horizon, the healthcare chatbot market revenue in the Kingdom is expected to reach $132 million by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.2% between 2025 and 2030.

The integration of AI chatbots in healthcare is genuinely changing the way patients interact with hospitals and clinics across the Kingdom. Unlike traditional hospital reception desks that close at night, AI chatbots in Saudi hospitals provide 24/7 support, offering immediate healthcare access and instant responses to patients in remote areas. Other benefits include:

• Providing Arabic-language support. Having Arabic-language medical chatbots that understand various dialects ensures that language would never become a barrier to accessing healthcare information. Thus, the Kingdom introduced an AI health coach, supported by live voice and video features, allowing people to speak naturally with an Arabic-AI assistant. This makes healthcare guidance more accessible, personalized, and convenient.
• Streamlining appointment scheduling. Chatbots can handle appointment bookings, deliver medical reports, and answer common patient inquiries immediately through a platform people already use daily.
• Providing personalized medical guidance. AI-powered patient support system can provide personalized health guidance based on individual patient histories, symptoms, and preferences. 
• Reducing hospital burden. AI chatbots can perform initial symptom assessments and guide patients to the appropriate care level, whether it is a virtual consultation, a scheduled appointment, or urgent care.
• Enhancing chronic disease management. AI-powered patient engagement platform can send medication reminders to patients with chronic conditions, track their vital signs when integrated with IoT devices, and provide timely health tips.

Smarter retail and e-commerce experience

A recent study conducted by Visa showed that 90% of consumers in Saudi Arabia are embracing AI as part of their shopping journeys, using AI tools to assist with shopping. Additionally, the ‘Digital Consumer Trends 2026 Report’ published by Deloitte stated that 66% of consumers in the Kingdom now actively use AI tools. These figures affirm that the Kingdom has reached a defining moment in its digital evolution, with generative AI reshaping the way people search, shop, work, and make decisions. The rise of AI-powered assistants, notably chatbots, fueled this transformation.

AI chatbots have reshaped the way businesses interact with customers and how consumers make purchasing decisions. Retailers and e-commerce platforms in Saudi Arabia leverage AI chatbots to actively guide customers through the entire purchasing journey, from product discovery to checkout. Online platforms, such as Namshi and Noon, employ AI to analyze customer data for targeted advertising and suggestions, leading to higher conversion rates. Agentic AI Personal Shoppers is another advanced technology that can understand complex requests across text, voice, and images. This technology allows customers to upload a photo of a desired style or describe a need in Arabic or English, then autonomously searches the product catalog, checks real-time stock, and stages a personalized cart ready for checkout. This capability enables retailers to provide an always-on personal concierge that executes the shopping journey on behalf of every customer, instead of offering suggestions.

Transforming citizen-government interactions

The Kingdom is actively deploying AI-powered chatbots across its government services to modernize citizen interactions, moving beyond simple information provision to create a more integrated, conversational, and proactive digital government experience. With the Tawakkaln App at the heart of this transformation, individual government entities deploy their own AI chatbots to improve their services. For instance, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing introduced the Balaby chatbot on its Balaby platform to provide citizens with instant, AI-generated answers about municipal services, such as issuing commercial licenses or submitting reports.

The Digital Government Authority launched the ‘Smart Search Tool’ to streamline citizen engagement and service navigation, allowing users to search for government services. This tool utilizes natural language processing to understand complex beneficiary queries.

To sum up, the integration of conversational AI across Saudi Arabia's economy is more than a technological upgrade; it is the gradual emergence of a new national identity. In banking, healthcare, retail, and government, AI chatbots that understand context, anticipate needs, and speak the language of the people are breaking down barriers of geography, bureaucracy, and time. What was once reserved for the few—financial advice, specialized healthcare, government services, or premium shopping experiences—is now available to anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection. As these intelligent systems become integral to everyday life, they are reshaping the way services are delivered and how citizens perceive their relationship with the institutions that serve them. The true success of this transformation will ultimately be measured not in adoption rates, but in the quality of lives improved and opportunities unlocked for every user.

Kholoud Hussein 

Few countries have transformed their digital landscape as rapidly and comprehensively as Saudi Arabia. Over the past decade, digital transformation has evolved from being a government modernization initiative into one of the Kingdom's most influential economic and social development strategies. Under Vision 2030, technology has become more than an enabler of public services; it has emerged as a catalyst for economic diversification, private-sector growth, entrepreneurship, and social inclusion.

Today, renewing official documents, opening a bank account, establishing a company, booking a medical appointment, signing contracts, paying utility bills, or accessing government services can all be completed through a smartphone within minutes. Platforms such as Absher, Nafath, Sehhaty, Qiwa, and Tawakkalna have fundamentally changed how citizens interact with the state, while digital payments, e-commerce, and cloud-based business solutions have transformed the private sector's operating model.

These achievements have positioned Saudi Arabia among the world's leading digital economies. The Kingdom ranked second globally in the World Bank's GovTech Maturity Index, while the Digital Government Authority (DGA) reports that more than 97% of government services are now offered digitally. According to the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), internet penetration has surpassed 99%, making Saudi Arabia one of the world's most connected societies. Digital payments now account for nearly 80% of all retail transactions, exceeding one of Vision 2030's original targets years ahead of schedule, while the ICT market has grown into the largest in the Middle East, with a value exceeding SAR 180 billion.

These figures tell the story of remarkable progress. Yet they also raise an equally important question.

If digital infrastructure has reached almost every household, if government services have largely become digital by default, and if businesses increasingly operate through digital platforms, does this mean every citizen and every company is benefiting equally from the Kingdom's digital transformation? 

The success of Saudi Arabia's digital journey has revealed a new challenge—one that is less visible than internet coverage maps or smartphone penetration rates, yet potentially more consequential for the country's long-term economic ambitions. It is a challenge that policymakers, businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs around the world are increasingly confronting: the digital divide.

Unlike a decade ago, however, the digital divide no longer refers simply to whether people can access the internet. In highly connected economies such as Saudi Arabia, it has become a far more sophisticated issue. It now concerns who possesses the skills to navigate an increasingly digital economy, who can leverage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence to improve productivity, who can establish digitally enabled businesses, and who risks being left behind as economic activity becomes progressively technology-driven.

For Saudi Arabia, addressing this new generation of digital inequality is not merely a technological objective. It is an economic necessity. As the Kingdom accelerates its transition toward a knowledge-based economy, ensuring that every individual and every business can participate meaningfully in the digital era will become just as important as expanding fiber-optic networks or launching new government applications.

The first phase of Vision 2030 focused on building digital infrastructure, while the next phase will focus on ensuring that everyone can build their future upon it.

What Is Meant by the Digital Divide?

The concept of the digital divide has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past three decades. When policymakers first began discussing the issue during the rapid expansion of the internet in the 1990s, the concern was relatively straightforward: millions of people simply lacked access to computers and reliable internet connections. Digital inequality was therefore measured by physical infrastructure. Countries with limited broadband networks, low computer ownership, and weak telecommunications systems were considered digitally excluded.

Governments responded by investing heavily in connectivity. Expanding broadband coverage, reducing internet costs, and improving telecommunications infrastructure became central objectives of national development strategies across both developed and emerging economies.

Over time, however, it became increasingly clear that providing internet access alone was not enough.

Two individuals could own the same smartphone, access the same broadband network, and use the same government platforms, yet derive entirely different economic value from those technologies. One might use digital tools to establish a successful online business, access global markets, develop new skills, and improve productivity. The other might use the same technology primarily for communication or entertainment without experiencing any significant economic benefit.

This realization fundamentally changed how international organizations define the digital divide.

Today, institutions such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) describe digital inclusion as a multidimensional concept encompassing not only access to digital infrastructure but also digital literacy, affordability, accessibility, cybersecurity awareness, trust in online services, and the ability to participate productively in the digital economy.

In other words, connectivity has become only the starting point. Meaningful participation has become the real objective.

This evolution has given rise to what researchers increasingly describe as the "second" and even "third" generations of the digital divide.

The first generation focused on infrastructure—who had access to the internet and who did not.

The second focused on digital skills—who could effectively use technology to improve education, employment, and business performance.

Today, the third generation is emerging around artificial intelligence, data literacy, automation, cloud computing, and advanced digital capabilities. As intelligent technologies become integral to every sector of the economy, the divide increasingly separates those capable of creating value from technology from those who simply consume it.

This distinction is becoming one of the defining characteristics of modern economies.

Digital transformation is no longer measured by the number of smartphones in circulation or broadband subscriptions. Increasingly, it is measured by the number of digitally skilled workers, AI-enabled businesses, technology-driven entrepreneurs, innovative startups, and organizations capable of competing in a global digital marketplace.

For countries pursuing ambitious economic diversification strategies, including Saudi Arabia, this new definition carries profound implications.

Building infrastructure may require billions of dollars in investment, but building digital capabilities requires something far more challenging: long-term investment in education, talent development, entrepreneurship, research, and innovation.

Saudi Arabia's Journey Toward Closing the Digital Divide

Saudi Arabia's experience illustrates how rapidly a nation can transform its digital landscape when technology becomes a national strategic priority.

When Vision 2030 was launched in 2016, digital transformation was identified as one of the key enablers of economic diversification. Rather than treating technology as a standalone sector, policymakers viewed it as a foundation capable of improving government efficiency, attracting foreign investment, empowering entrepreneurs, creating new industries, and enhancing quality of life.

Over the past decade, this vision has translated into unprecedented investments across digital infrastructure.

The Kingdom expanded fiber-optic networks across urban and rural areas, accelerated nationwide 5G deployment, strengthened cloud computing capabilities, modernized telecommunications regulations, and encouraged greater private-sector participation in the ICT sector. Today, Saudi Arabia enjoys one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world and among the region's most advanced digital infrastructure ecosystems.

Yet infrastructure represented only one aspect of the transformation.

The government simultaneously embarked on an ambitious digital government agenda that fundamentally changed the relationship between citizens and public institutions.

Instead of requiring physical visits to multiple government offices, integrated digital platforms now allow individuals and businesses to complete hundreds of transactions remotely. According to the Digital Government Authority, Saudi Arabia has digitized more than 97% of its government services, while the Kingdom continues to improve user experience through unified digital identities, interoperable platforms, and AI-powered public services.

This transformation has produced tangible economic benefits.

Administrative costs have declined, business registration procedures have accelerated, compliance has become more efficient, and entrepreneurs can establish companies significantly faster than was possible only a decade ago. The reduction in bureaucracy has strengthened Saudi Arabia's attractiveness as an investment destination while supporting the growth of its startup ecosystem.

As Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha has repeatedly emphasized, the Kingdom's digital transformation is not simply about deploying technology but about empowering people and creating opportunities for innovation. Speaking at several international forums, Alswaha has argued that Saudi Arabia's greatest competitive advantage lies in its investment in human capabilities, noting that talent—not technology alone—will determine success in the era of artificial intelligence.

Similarly, Ahmed Alsuwaiyan, Governor of the Digital Government Authority, has consistently highlighted that digital government is no longer measured solely by the number of online services but by the quality of citizens' digital experiences. His remarks reflect an important shift in public policy thinking: successful digital transformation depends not only on making services available, but also on ensuring they are accessible, intuitive, inclusive, and trusted.

These achievements explain why Saudi Arabia is frequently cited as one of the world's leading examples of digital transformation. Yet they also underscore an important reality.

Building world-class digital infrastructure is only the first step.

Ensuring that every citizen, entrepreneur, employee, student, and business can benefit equally from that infrastructure is a far more complex challenge—one that cannot be solved through technology alone.

It requires investment in people. And it is precisely at this point that Saudi Arabia's digital transformation enters its most important phase.

Who Is Still Left Out? The New Face of Digital Inequality

It is tempting to assume that digital inequality disappears once internet access becomes nearly universal. Saudi Arabia's experience demonstrates otherwise.

The Kingdom has largely solved what development economists refer to as the "first-generation digital divide." Broadband networks extend across the country, fifth-generation (5G) services continue to expand, smartphone ownership ranks among the highest globally, and digital government platforms have become the primary channel through which citizens interact with public institutions. In purely technological terms, Saudi Arabia has built one of the most advanced digital ecosystems in the region.

Yet digital transformation has entered a far more complex stage.

Today, exclusion is less visible than it was a decade ago. It no longer manifests itself through the absence of internet connections or limited access to government services. Instead, it appears through unequal opportunities to participate in a rapidly evolving digital economy. Some individuals, businesses, and sectors have embraced digital technologies as engines of growth and innovation, while others continue to struggle to translate connectivity into tangible economic value.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than among Saudi Arabia's small and medium-sized enterprises.

SMEs occupy a central position within Vision 2030, with the Kingdom aiming to increase their contribution to gross domestic product to 35% by the end of the decade. Considerable progress has already been made, supported by financing initiatives, regulatory reforms, and a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. Nevertheless, digital maturity remains uneven across the sector.

Many young startups have been built entirely around cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital payments, and data analytics. They operate with technology embedded into every stage of their business models, allowing them to scale rapidly and compete beyond local markets.

By contrast, many traditional SMEs continue to rely on fragmented digital systems or manual processes. Inventory management, customer relationships, accounting, procurement, and sales often remain disconnected, preventing businesses from fully exploiting the efficiencies offered by modern technology. Digital tools may exist within these companies, but they frequently operate in isolation rather than forming an integrated digital ecosystem capable of improving productivity and supporting strategic decision-making.

This disparity has become one of the defining characteristics of Saudi Arabia's emerging digital economy.

Increasingly, competitiveness depends not on whether businesses possess technology, but on how effectively they integrate it into their daily operations.

The same challenge extends to family-owned businesses, many of which have formed the backbone of the Saudi private sector for decades.

While large family conglomerates have invested heavily in digital transformation, thousands of smaller family enterprises continue to navigate the transition from traditional business practices toward digitally driven operating models. Succession planning has become intertwined with technological modernization, as younger generations often seek to introduce e-commerce, enterprise software, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making into businesses historically built on personal relationships and conventional management practices.

For many of these companies, digital transformation is no longer simply an operational upgrade; it has become essential to long-term survival.

The labor market presents another dimension of the digital divide.

The rapid adoption of automation and artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the skills demanded by employers. Administrative tasks that once required significant human intervention are increasingly automated, while demand continues to grow for professionals capable of managing digital platforms, analyzing data, developing AI solutions, strengthening cybersecurity, and operating within cloud-based environments.

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report, digital skills are expected to become among the fastest-growing competencies worldwide during the remainder of this decade. Saudi Arabia has recognized this challenge through extensive investments in digital skills programs, coding academies, artificial intelligence education, and workforce reskilling initiatives. Nevertheless, maintaining alignment between education outcomes and rapidly evolving labor market requirements remains one of the Kingdom's most significant long-term challenges.

As Alswaha has repeatedly emphasized, talent will ultimately determine the success of the digital economy. Infrastructure may provide the platform, but people remain the primary engine of innovation.

Another group facing unique challenges consists of elderly citizens.

Although Saudi Arabia has made remarkable progress in simplifying digital government services through user-friendly platforms such as Absher and Sehhaty, digital adoption among older generations remains uneven. Many continue to depend on family members to complete electronic transactions, navigate digital banking services, or manage online healthcare appointments.

This does not necessarily reflect a lack of willingness to embrace technology. Rather, it highlights the importance of designing digital services that accommodate varying levels of digital confidence and technological familiarity.

True digital inclusion requires more than making services available online; it requires ensuring that every citizen can use them independently and confidently.

People with disabilities represent another important dimension of digital inclusion.

Saudi Arabia has introduced significant accessibility standards across government platforms as part of its broader commitment to inclusive development. However, rapid technological innovation continually creates new accessibility requirements, particularly as artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, and increasingly sophisticated digital interfaces become integrated into everyday services.

Ensuring that technological progress remains inclusive will require ongoing collaboration between government institutions, technology companies, accessibility specialists, and entrepreneurs.

Geography also continues to influence digital participation, although in different ways than in the past.

The issue is no longer whether rural communities possess internet connectivity. Significant investments have dramatically expanded broadband coverage throughout the Kingdom. Instead, the challenge increasingly concerns access to advanced digital ecosystems.

Entrepreneurs in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran benefit from proximity to accelerators, venture capital firms, technology conferences, research institutions, universities, and innovation hubs. These ecosystems facilitate collaboration, investment, mentorship, and knowledge exchange.

Entrepreneurs operating in smaller cities may possess equivalent connectivity yet fewer opportunities to participate in these innovation networks.

Closing this gap will require continued expansion of regional entrepreneurship ecosystems rather than infrastructure alone.

Digital inequality also manifests itself in financial capability.

While Saudi Arabia has become one of the Middle East's leading markets for digital payments and fintech innovation, not every entrepreneur possesses the financial knowledge required to leverage digital financing solutions effectively. Understanding crowdfunding, embedded finance, venture capital, revenue-based financing, digital lending, or investment readiness increasingly determines whether startups can secure the capital needed to grow.

Financial literacy has therefore become inseparable from digital literacy.

As financial services become increasingly technology-driven, entrepreneurs who fail to understand digital finance risk limiting their own growth opportunities.

Taken together, these examples illustrate a profound shift in the nature of digital inequality.

The remaining barriers are no longer primarily technological. They are educational, economic, institutional, and increasingly, they are connected to human capability.

Why Closing the Digital Divide Matters Economically

For many years, digital transformation was discussed primarily as a technological objective. Governments invested in telecommunications networks, electronic services, and broadband infrastructure because these projects represented visible signs of modernization. Today, however, economists increasingly regard digital inclusion through a different lens.

It has become an economic growth strategy.

Every digitally capable entrepreneur strengthens private-sector competitiveness. Every SME that successfully integrates artificial intelligence or cloud computing improves productivity. Every worker who acquires advanced digital skills contributes to labor market resilience. Collectively, these individual gains translate into broader economic performance.

This explains why institutions such as the World Bank, the OECD, and the International Monetary Fund increasingly describe digital inclusion as a driver of productivity rather than merely a social policy objective.

For Saudi Arabia, the implications are particularly significant.

Vision 2030 seeks to diversify the economy through innovation, entrepreneurship, advanced manufacturing, financial services, tourism, logistics, and technology. None of these sectors can achieve their full potential without a digitally capable workforce and digitally mature businesses.

Digital inclusion therefore sits at the intersection of nearly every major national economic objective because: 

• It influences startup formation.
• It affects SME growth.
• It strengthens labor productivity.
• It attracts foreign direct investment.
• It supports research and innovation.
• It determines how effectively Saudi Arabia competes within the global digital economy.

The Kingdom has already demonstrated that it can build world-class digital infrastructure.

The next measure of success will depend on how effectively every citizen and every business can transform that infrastructure into opportunity.

The Role of Saudi Startups: Bridging the Last Mile of Digital Transformation

If government institutions built Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure, startups have built the bridges that connect this infrastructure to everyday life.

This distinction is important because digital transformation does not end with the launch of an electronic government service or the expansion of a fiber-optic network. Infrastructure creates possibilities, but it is businesses that transform those possibilities into practical solutions capable of changing how people work, shop, save, learn, receive healthcare, manage companies, and access financial services.

In many respects, Saudi startups have become the "last mile" of the Kingdom's digital transformation.

Rather than competing with government initiatives, they have complemented them by identifying highly specialized problems that public institutions could not address alone. While government established the regulatory frameworks and invested in digital infrastructure, startups focused on simplifying complex processes, reducing costs, improving accessibility, and encouraging both individuals and businesses to embrace digital technologies with confidence.

Perhaps nowhere has this been more evident than in financial technology.

For decades, access to financing represented one of the largest obstacles facing entrepreneurs and SMEs across the region. Traditional banking requirements often made obtaining credit difficult for younger businesses, while many consumers remained hesitant about using digital financial services.

Saudi fintech startups have played a central role in changing this reality.

Companies such as Tamara have transformed consumer financing by popularizing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions, enabling millions of consumers to shop online while giving merchants new opportunities to increase sales and improve customer acquisition. At the same time, platforms such as Lendo introduced debt crowdfunding models that opened alternative financing channels for SMEs, addressing a longstanding funding gap that conventional financial institutions alone could not fill.

Similarly, Hakbah modernized the traditional concept of community savings by digitizing "Jameya" models, encouraging financial inclusion while preserving familiar cultural practices. Instead of replacing traditional behaviors, the company enhanced them through technology, making saving more transparent, accessible, and efficient.

Collectively, these startups did more than introduce new financial products. They strengthened public confidence in digital financial services, encouraged cashless transactions, and expanded participation in the Kingdom's growing digital economy.

Retail technology presents another compelling example.

The explosive growth of e-commerce in Saudi Arabia would have been difficult to sustain without platforms designed specifically for local merchants.

Companies such as Salla and Zid significantly lowered the barriers to launching online businesses. Entrepreneurs no longer needed to build expensive websites, hire software developers, or invest heavily in digital infrastructure before reaching customers. Instead, these platforms offered integrated ecosystems combining online storefronts, payment gateways, inventory management, logistics, customer relationship management, and digital marketing tools within a single solution.

This democratization of technology proved particularly significant for small businesses.

By reducing the cost and complexity of digital commerce, these startups enabled thousands of entrepreneurs to participate in Saudi Arabia's rapidly expanding online economy, regardless of their technical background.

The restaurant industry experienced a similar transformation.

Saudi-based Foodics evolved from a point-of-sale provider into a comprehensive cloud platform supporting restaurants with inventory management, payment processing, analytics, customer engagement, and operational intelligence. In doing so, the company helped thousands of restaurants transition from traditional management methods toward fully digital operations, improving efficiency and supporting long-term scalability.

Education technology has followed a comparable trajectory.

As digital learning became increasingly important, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, companies such as Classera demonstrated how Saudi-developed educational technologies could serve not only domestic institutions but international markets as well. By integrating digital classrooms, AI-powered learning tools, and cloud-based education management systems, these platforms helped schools embrace hybrid and digital learning environments while expanding access to high-quality educational resources.

AI startups are now emerging as the next frontier.

Companies including Mozn have developed sophisticated AI solutions for fraud detection, anti-money laundering, and financial risk management, illustrating the evolution of Saudi startups from digital service providers into creators of advanced technologies capable of competing internationally.

Similarly, Lucidya has enabled organizations across the region to analyze Arabic-language customer sentiment using artificial intelligence, filling a gap that global technology providers often overlooked. By tailoring AI solutions to Arabic-speaking markets, the company demonstrated how local innovation can solve challenges that international products frequently fail to address.

Industrial technology is experiencing similar momentum.

Construction technology startup WakeCap uses wearable Internet of Things (IoT) devices and data analytics to improve workforce safety and operational efficiency across large construction projects. The company's success reflects another important aspect of Saudi Arabia's startup ecosystem: digital transformation is no longer confined to software or consumer applications. Increasingly, it is reshaping traditional industries such as construction, manufacturing, logistics, and infrastructure.

The Next Gaps Waiting to Be Filled

Despite the remarkable growth of Saudi Arabia's startup ecosystem, significant opportunities remain.

Indeed, the Kingdom's continued digital transformation is likely to create entirely new markets over the coming decade.

Artificial intelligence represents perhaps the largest opportunity.

While large corporations increasingly invest in AI capabilities, many SMEs continue to struggle with implementation. Future startups are therefore expected to focus less on developing foundational AI models and more on making artificial intelligence practical, affordable, and accessible for small businesses operating across retail, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, legal services, education, and tourism.

Another promising area lies in Arabic-language AI.

Although global AI models continue improving multilingual capabilities, demand is growing for solutions specifically designed around Arabic language processing, regional dialects, cultural contexts, and local regulatory environments. Saudi entrepreneurs are well positioned to become global leaders in this niche.

Accessibility technologies represent another underserved market.

As Saudi Arabia advances its commitment to inclusive development, demand will continue growing for digital solutions that better serve elderly citizens and people with disabilities. Technologies supporting voice navigation, accessible digital interfaces, AI-powered assistance, and adaptive user experiences represent significant commercial opportunities while simultaneously strengthening digital inclusion.

Cybersecurity is expected to become equally important.

As businesses become increasingly digital and government services rely more heavily on cloud computing and artificial intelligence, protecting digital infrastructure will require continuous innovation. Saudi Arabia has already identified cybersecurity as a strategic priority, creating fertile ground for startups specializing in digital identity protection, threat intelligence, secure cloud infrastructure, and AI-powered cyber defense.

Education technology also remains far from saturated.

The challenge is no longer simply digitizing classrooms. Instead, the next generation of EdTech startups is likely to focus on lifelong learning, AI-assisted education, personalized skills development, vocational reskilling, and continuous professional education designed for rapidly changing labor markets.

Collectively, these emerging sectors demonstrate that the digital divide should not be viewed solely as a challenge.

It also represents one of Saudi Arabia's largest investment opportunities.

AI and the Next Digital Divide

If internet connectivity defined the first generation of digital transformation, artificial intelligence is likely to define the next.

The rapid adoption of generative AI has fundamentally changed the nature of digital competitiveness. Access to AI tools is becoming increasingly widespread, but access alone no longer guarantees productivity.

The real advantage lies in knowing how to integrate AI into daily work.

Businesses capable of automating workflows, analyzing data, improving customer service, forecasting demand, enhancing cybersecurity, and supporting strategic decision-making through artificial intelligence will increasingly outperform competitors relying on traditional operating models.

This represents a new form of digital inequality. It is not an infrastructure divide. It is an intelligence divide.

Saudi Arabia has moved aggressively to position itself at the forefront of this transformation. Through the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the National Strategy for Data and AI, and the launch of HUMAIN, the Kingdom has committed billions of dollars toward AI infrastructure, cloud computing, research partnerships, semiconductor investments, and talent development.

Speaking at LEAP and other international forums, Minister Abdullah Alswaha has consistently argued that the global AI race will not be won solely through computing power but through investment in people. Talent, education, and innovation, he maintains, will determine which nations ultimately lead the next wave of technological transformation.

From Digital Access to Digital Opportunity

As Vision 2030 enters its final years, Saudi Arabia's digital transformation is approaching a defining moment.

The Kingdom has already demonstrated that ambitious public policy, substantial investment, and close collaboration between government and the private sector can fundamentally reshape an economy within a remarkably short period. International rankings, expanding digital infrastructure, growing startup activity, and increasing foreign investment all point toward a digital ecosystem that continues to mature at an impressive pace.

Yet the next chapter will demand something even more ambitious.

It will require ensuring that digital transformation benefits every entrepreneur, every SME, every student, every worker, and every community—not simply by providing access to technology, but by enabling them to create value from it.

This is where startups, investors, universities, corporations, and policymakers will increasingly converge. Their shared challenge will be to transform digital inclusion from a policy objective into an economic reality, one that supports innovation, strengthens productivity, expands entrepreneurship, and enhances global competitiveness.

Ultimately, the digital divide is not simply about technology. It is about opportunity.

It is about ensuring that no promising entrepreneur is prevented from growing because of limited digital capabilities, that no small business is excluded from the digital economy because it cannot adopt emerging technologies, and that no citizen is left behind as artificial intelligence reshapes the future of work.

Saudi Arabia has already built one of the world's most advanced digital foundations.

The next measure of its success will not be the number of platforms it launches, the speed of its internet, or the sophistication of its digital infrastructure.

It will be measured by something far more important: how many people can confidently participate, compete, innovate, and prosper within the digital economy it has created.

Kholoud Hussein 

The story of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation is often told through the language of infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and smart government services. Yet behind the platforms, applications, and digital ecosystems lies a deeper transformation that may ultimately prove to be one of Vision 2030's most significant achievements: the acceleration of women's participation in economic and social life.

In many countries, increasing female participation in the workforce has been a gradual process unfolding over several decades. In Saudi Arabia, however, the convergence of regulatory reforms, digital technologies, and economic diversification has compressed that timeline dramatically. The result is a generation of Saudi women entering leadership positions, launching startups, building technology companies, and contributing to the Kingdom's digital economy at a pace that few analysts anticipated a decade ago.

The digital transformation of Saudi Arabia did not merely create new tools. It fundamentally altered access to opportunity.

A Digital Economy Opens New Doors

When Vision 2030 was launched in 2016, one of its central objectives was to increase women's participation in the labor market. At the time, female workforce participation stood at approximately 17%. Today, that figure exceeds 36%, more than doubling within less than a decade and surpassing the Kingdom's original Vision 2030 target years ahead of schedule. According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, female labor force participation reached 36.3% in the first quarter of 2025, while female unemployment fell to a historic low of 10.5%. 

These figures represent far more than a labor market success story. They reflect a structural transformation in how women engage with the economy.

Technology has been one of the most powerful enablers of this shift. Digital platforms have reduced geographical barriers, expanded access to employment opportunities, enabled remote work, facilitated entrepreneurship, and simplified access to financial services. In many cases, technology accomplished something traditional economic reforms alone could not: it made participation easier, faster, and more accessible.

The rise of digital banking, e-commerce, online education, cloud-based business tools, and government platforms has fundamentally changed the mechanics of entering and participating in the economy. Women no longer need to be physically present to establish businesses, access services, or reach customers. The smartphone has effectively become an economic gateway.

From Beneficiaries to Builders

Perhaps the most important shift in the Saudi digital story is that women are no longer merely beneficiaries of transformation; they are increasingly becoming its architects.

Across the Kingdom, women are taking leadership roles in sectors that were once dominated by men, particularly in technology, digital innovation, artificial intelligence, venture capital, and entrepreneurship.

One of the most visible examples is Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, whose leadership in both public policy and economic development has become symbolic of the broader evolution of women's roles in Saudi society. Equally influential is Dr. Esraa Albutairi, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, who has been actively involved in advancing digital talent development and strengthening the Kingdom's innovation ecosystem.

At the institutional level, women are increasingly participating in the leadership of organizations driving the Kingdom's digital transformation agenda, from technology regulators and investment institutions to startup accelerators and innovation hubs.

This rise in leadership reflects a broader reality: digital transformation requires talent, and Saudi Arabia's growth ambitions cannot be achieved without fully integrating women into the innovation economy.

Building a Generation of Digital Entrepreneurs

While workforce participation statistics tell part of the story, entrepreneurship may be where the most profound transformation is occurring.

Saudi women are launching businesses at unprecedented rates. According to Mastercard's 2025 Women Entrepreneurship Research, 78% of Saudi women expressed interest in starting their own businesses, nearly equal to male respondents. The findings highlight a significant shift in entrepreneurial ambition as the Kingdom's startup ecosystem matures. 

Unlike previous generations, today's entrepreneurs operate within a digital-first environment.

Cloud services eliminate the need for expensive infrastructure. Social media provides direct access to customers. E-commerce platforms create national and global distribution channels. Digital payment systems simplify transactions. Artificial intelligence tools increasingly support marketing, operations, and customer service.

This environment has lowered traditional barriers to entry and enabled women entrepreneurs to build scalable businesses with relatively modest initial resources.

The result is the emergence of a new class of technology-enabled female founders whose companies are addressing challenges across fintech, retail technology, education, healthcare, logistics, and software services.

The Startups Leading the Change

Saudi Arabia's startup ecosystem increasingly features women at the helm of some of the Kingdom's most innovative ventures.

Among the most frequently cited examples is Razan Al Mubarak's broader regional influence on sustainability and innovation, alongside a growing generation of Saudi founders building technology-enabled companies across multiple sectors.

One notable example is The Chefz, which counted prominent Saudi women among its leadership and helped redefine food delivery experiences before its acquisition by Jahez. Another example is Marn, co-founded with strong female participation in leadership, which has become one of the Kingdom's leading cloud-based restaurant management platforms.

In the education sector, female entrepreneurs have played critical roles in developing digital learning platforms that gained traction during and after the pandemic. In healthtech, women founders have helped create solutions focused on wellness, preventive care, and patient engagement. In fintech, women are increasingly entering a sector that was once considered one of the most difficult industries for female entrepreneurs to penetrate.

More importantly, these founders are not building "women-focused" businesses alone. They are creating companies that address mainstream economic challenges and serve broad markets.

That distinction marks the transition from inclusion to influence.

How Government and the Private Sector Built the Foundation

The success of Saudi women in the digital economy did not emerge in isolation. It was supported by a deliberate strategy involving regulatory reforms, digital infrastructure investment, workforce development programs, and public-private partnerships.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development reports that more than 800 training programs have delivered over 280,000 certificates, supporting more than 120,000 Saudi women into employment. Additionally, the “Wusul” transportation support initiative has helped more than 307,000 women overcome mobility barriers and maintain employment stability.

Partnerships with more than 46,000 private-sector companies have further expanded opportunities for women, while leadership development initiatives have trained thousands of women for management and executive positions. 

At the same time, the private sector has increasingly recognized that female participation is not simply a social objective but an economic necessity. Companies competing in technology, finance, and innovation-intensive industries require access to the broadest possible talent pool.

As a result, organizations across the Kingdom have expanded leadership pathways, digital training initiatives, and entrepreneurship support programs targeting women.

Women in the Technology Workforce

One of the clearest indicators of progress is the growing presence of women within Saudi Arabia's technology sector itself.

According to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, women now account for approximately 35% of the Kingdom's digital workforce, significantly exceeding both global and G20 averages. The sector employs more than 389,000 digital professionals, making Saudi Arabia home to the largest pool of digital talent in the Middle East.

Safa Al-Rashed, Acting Deputy Minister for Future Skills and Capabilities, recently emphasized that investment in national talent remains the foundation of the Kingdom's digital economy. She noted that Saudi Arabia's future competitiveness depends on empowering both young men and women with advanced digital skills capable of supporting innovation-led growth. 

This trend is particularly significant because technology increasingly serves as the infrastructure of every industry. Whether in healthcare, finance, retail, logistics, or education, digital capabilities are becoming essential career assets.

Women entering technology are therefore not only joining a sector; they are positioning themselves within the core engine of future economic growth.

The Next Frontier: AI Leadership and Deep Technology

While Saudi women's progress in entrepreneurship, digital services, and the technology workforce represents a major milestone, the next phase of the Kingdom's transformation will be defined by a far more ambitious challenge: positioning women not only as participants in the digital economy, but as leaders in the technologies that will shape the future global economy.

Artificial intelligence, advanced computing, robotics, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, and data science are rapidly becoming the strategic industries of the 21st century. Countries are increasingly competing not only for capital and infrastructure, but also for the talent capable of developing and managing these technologies. Saudi Arabia's leadership understands this reality well. The Kingdom's investments in AI infrastructure, cloud computing, data centers, and advanced digital capabilities are designed not merely to modernize public services, but to establish Saudi Arabia as a regional and global technology powerhouse.

For women, this transformation presents a historic opportunity.

Unlike many traditional industries where leadership structures were established decades ago, emerging technology sectors are still being built. Artificial intelligence, in particular, offers a relatively open playing field where expertise, innovation, and technical capability can matter more than legacy industry structures. As Saudi Arabia builds its AI ecosystem, women have an opportunity to enter these sectors at a formative stage and influence their development from the outset.

The Kingdom has already begun laying the foundations for this transition. Through initiatives led by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), and multiple university partnerships, thousands of women are being trained in coding, machine learning, cybersecurity, and advanced digital skills. Programs such as the National Technology Development Program and digital upskilling initiatives are creating pathways into industries that barely existed in the Kingdom a decade ago.

The importance of this shift extends far beyond employment statistics. Artificial intelligence is expected to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to the Saudi economy over the coming decades. According to PwC estimates, AI could contribute approximately $135 billion to Saudi Arabia's GDP by 2030, representing one of the largest AI-driven economic opportunities in the Middle East. The question is no longer whether women will participate in this growth, but whether they will occupy leadership positions within it.

The next generation of Saudi female founders is likely to look very different from the previous one. While many of today's successful women-led startups operate in e-commerce, consumer services, education, and health technology, tomorrow's entrepreneurs may be building AI platforms, climate-tech solutions, robotics companies, cybersecurity firms, and advanced software infrastructure businesses.

This evolution could ultimately transform Saudi women from adopters of technology into creators of globally competitive technologies. In doing so, they would help shape not only the future of the Kingdom's digital economy, but also its position within the global innovation landscape.

Beyond Employment: A Shift in Social Expectations

The impact of digital transformation on Saudi women cannot be measured solely through workforce participation rates, startup funding figures, or leadership appointments. Its most profound effect may be cultural.

Technology has altered the way opportunity is perceived.

For previous generations, professional pathways for women were often concentrated in a limited number of sectors. Today, a young Saudi woman can envision herself as a software engineer, startup founder, venture capitalist, artificial intelligence specialist, fintech executive, cybersecurity expert, or technology investor. These possibilities are no longer theoretical. They are increasingly visible in everyday life.

This visibility matters because economic transformation is often preceded by a transformation in expectations.

As Saudi women become more present in technology conferences, startup competitions, boardrooms, investment committees, and executive leadership teams, they are reshaping perceptions about who can lead innovation. Every successful female entrepreneur creates a reference point for the next generation. Every woman appointed to a senior technology position expands the boundaries of what young professionals believe is achievable.

Digital platforms have accelerated this process. Social media, professional networking platforms, online education, and digital communities have created new channels for mentorship, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration. Young women entering the workforce today have access to role models and professional networks that were previously difficult to reach.

The shift is particularly evident within entrepreneurship. A decade ago, female startup founders were often viewed as exceptions within the broader ecosystem. Today, they are increasingly becoming part of the mainstream narrative of Saudi innovation. Investors, accelerators, and venture capital firms are paying greater attention to female-led businesses, while government-backed initiatives continue to encourage women's participation in entrepreneurship and innovation.

There is also a deeper societal implication. The digital economy has changed the relationship between work and location. Remote work, digital businesses, online consulting, and cloud-based operations have expanded professional flexibility across multiple sectors. This has enabled many women to participate in economic activity in ways that were previously more difficult or less accessible.

Perhaps most importantly, digital transformation has helped shift the conversation from inclusion to contribution.

The debate is no longer centered solely on increasing women's participation. It is increasingly focused on the value women create as entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, engineers, and executives. Their role is no longer measured by presence alone, but by impact.

That distinction marks a critical stage in the maturation of Saudi Arabia's economic transformation. It signals that women are becoming integral contributors to the Kingdom's innovation economy rather than beneficiaries of reform initiatives.

Looking Ahead

As Saudi Arabia advances toward the next phase of Vision 2030, the role of women in shaping the Kingdom's digital future is expected to become even more significant.

The country's ambitions extend far beyond digital government services or technology adoption. Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a global hub for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, advanced manufacturing, smart cities, fintech, and innovation-driven industries. Achieving these ambitions will require a continuous expansion of the national talent pool, making women's participation not simply desirable but economically essential.

The coming decade is likely to witness the rise of a new generation of Saudi female leaders operating at the intersection of technology, investment, and innovation. Some will build startups capable of expanding beyond regional markets. Others will lead venture capital funds, manage major technology projects, or oversee national digital initiatives. Many will help define the industries that emerge from Saudi Arabia's growing innovation ecosystem.

At the same time, challenges remain. Increasing representation in advanced technology fields, expanding access to growth-stage funding for female founders, strengthening mentorship networks, and ensuring greater participation in investment decision-making will all be important priorities. The next stage of progress will depend not only on access to opportunities but also on the ability to scale influence.

Encouragingly, the foundations already exist. Saudi Arabia now possesses one of the Middle East's largest digital economies, one of the region's most active startup ecosystems, and one of the world's most ambitious AI strategies. Women are entering these ecosystems at a moment when industries are being built rather than merely maintained.

This timing could prove decisive.

Just as the Kingdom's digital transformation reshaped the relationship between citizens and government, it is also reshaping the relationship between women and economic opportunity. The convergence of technology, policy reform, entrepreneurship, and investment is creating conditions that would have been difficult to imagine only a decade ago.

The story of Saudi women's digital leap is therefore not merely a story about employment or entrepreneurship. It is a story about agency, influence, and leadership in a rapidly evolving economy.

And as Saudi Arabia continues its transformation into a knowledge-based and innovation-driven nation, the success of its digital future may increasingly depend on the women helping to build it.

Kholoud  Hussein 

For much of modern history, waiting was embedded in the relationship between citizens and institutions. It was accepted as an unavoidable part of accessing services, whether renewing official documents, obtaining business licenses, visiting government offices, or completing financial transactions. Entire systems were designed around queues, appointments, paperwork, and administrative processing times.

In economic terms, however, waiting has always represented something more than inconvenience. It is a hidden cost that reduces productivity, slows investment, delays business activity, and limits participation in the economy. Every hour spent in a government office is an hour not spent building a company, serving customers, creating jobs, or generating economic value.

Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has quietly pursued a transformation that goes beyond digitizing government services. The Kingdom has fundamentally reengineered how citizens, businesses, and institutions interact, replacing traditional administrative processes with a digital infrastructure capable of operating around the clock.

The result is the emergence of what can be described as a "24/7 state," where government services are increasingly available at any time, from anywhere, and often with minimal human intervention. In this new model, waiting is no longer a necessary feature of governance. Instead, speed, accessibility, and seamless service delivery are becoming the default expectation.

This shift represents one of the most significant yet least discussed achievements of Vision 2030. While megaprojects often dominate headlines, the digital infrastructure revolution unfolding behind the scenes may ultimately prove just as transformative for the Kingdom's economy and society.

From Queues to Clicks: The Reinvention of Government Services

Saudi Arabia's digital transformation journey did not begin with artificial intelligence or cloud computing. It began with a more fundamental challenge: reducing friction between citizens and the government.

Over the past several years, the Kingdom has systematically digitized hundreds of public services through platforms such as Absher, Nafath, Tawakkalna, Qiwa, Sehhaty, Etimad, and Madrasati. What once required multiple office visits can now be completed through a smartphone within minutes.

According to the Digital Government Authority, Saudi Arabia achieved a score of 99.64% in the World Bank's GovTech Maturity Index, ranking among the world's most advanced digital governments. The achievement reflects years of institutional reforms designed to make government services more efficient, accessible, and user-centric.

Ahmed Alsuwaiyan, Governor of the Digital Government Authority, has repeatedly emphasized that digital government is not merely about technology adoption but about redesigning public service delivery to improve quality of life and economic competitiveness.

The implications are substantial. Entrepreneurs can establish companies faster. Investors can navigate regulatory procedures more efficiently. Employees can access public services without interrupting their workdays. Citizens can complete essential transactions regardless of geography or office hours.

In effect, the government has become a platform rather than a destination.

Building the Invisible Infrastructure

What users experience on their screens is only the visible layer of a much larger ecosystem.

Behind every digital transaction lies a complex infrastructure consisting of data centers, cloud platforms, digital identity systems, cybersecurity networks, fiber-optic connectivity, payment rails, and data-sharing frameworks connecting hundreds of public and private entities.

This infrastructure has become one of the most important investments undertaken under Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia now possesses some of the highest internet penetration rates in the region, alongside one of the world's fastest-growing cloud computing markets. The Kingdom has also become a major destination for international technology companies establishing cloud regions and digital infrastructure facilities.

Global technology firms including Google Cloud, Oracle, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services have all expanded their presence in the Kingdom, reflecting growing demand for digital services and enterprise computing capabilities.

Unlike roads or airports, digital infrastructure is largely invisible. Yet its economic impact is equally significant. Just as highways enable the movement of goods, digital infrastructure enables the movement of data, services, transactions, and economic activity.

Increasingly, it is becoming the foundation upon which entire industries operate.

Why Digital Infrastructure Became an Economic Asset

The transformation of digital infrastructure into a strategic economic asset represents one of the defining characteristics of Saudi Arabia's development strategy.

Traditionally, infrastructure investments focused on transportation, utilities, and industrial facilities. Today, digital infrastructure is being treated with similar importance because of its ability to influence productivity across every sector simultaneously.

A faster licensing process does not only benefit entrepreneurs. It accelerates capital deployment. A more efficient digital payments ecosystem does not only help consumers. It increases transaction volumes and supports business growth. Seamless government services reduce administrative burdens that traditionally consumed significant time and resources.

In this sense, digital transformation is not a technology initiative. It is an economic efficiency initiative.

The cumulative effect of millions of small time savings can generate enormous productivity gains across an economy. By reducing transaction costs and administrative friction, Saudi Arabia is effectively increasing the speed at which economic activity occurs.

Time itself is becoming an economic resource.

The Startup Layer: Filling Gaps Government Could Not

Government infrastructure created the foundation, but startups became the layer that translated digital capabilities into everyday experiences.

As public services moved online, entrepreneurs identified opportunities to solve problems that governments alone could not address.

Fintech startups accelerated digital payments and financial inclusion. Logistics platforms transformed delivery services. Healthtech companies connected patients with healthcare providers. Proptech firms simplified property transactions. Software startups automated operations for small and medium-sized businesses.

These companies did not replace government services. Instead, they expanded their usefulness.

The relationship between government infrastructure and startups has become increasingly symbiotic. Public platforms provide trusted digital identity systems, regulatory frameworks, and secure data environments. Startups build customer-focused solutions on top of these foundations.

This model has helped create one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the Middle East.

Many entrepreneurs now view government digital infrastructure as an enabling platform rather than a regulatory obstacle. The result is a new generation of companies capable of innovating faster because much of the foundational infrastructure already exists.

The Rise of the 24/7 Citizen

Perhaps the most profound outcome of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation is not technological at all. It is behavioral. As government services became available around the clock, citizens gradually adjusted their expectations of how institutions should function.

For decades, interactions with government agencies were constrained by office hours, paperwork, and physical visits. Completing a transaction often required taking time off work, waiting in queues, and navigating multiple offices. Today, millions of Saudis renew licenses, issue official documents, register businesses, access healthcare records, pay fees, and complete legal procedures through digital platforms at any time of day.

The result is the emergence of what might be called the "24/7 citizen" — an individual whose relationship with government is no longer limited by geography or working hours.

This shift is especially significant in a country where more than two-thirds of the population is under the age of 35. Digital-native generations increasingly view instant access not as a luxury but as a baseline expectation. Waiting days for a service that can be delivered in minutes now feels outdated rather than normal.

The implications extend far beyond convenience. When citizens can complete administrative tasks in minutes rather than hours, they recover time that can be redirected toward work, entrepreneurship, education, or family responsibilities. Economists often discuss infrastructure in terms of roads, ports, and airports, but digital infrastructure produces a similar effect by reducing friction in everyday economic activity.

For entrepreneurs and small business owners, this transformation is particularly valuable. A founder can register a company, secure permits, manage tax obligations, and access government support programs without interrupting daily operations. In practical terms, the digital state lowers the administrative burden of entrepreneurship.

As expectations evolve, citizens are increasingly evaluating public institutions not against historical standards but against the best digital experiences available anywhere in the world. Government services are now compared with banking apps, e-commerce platforms, and ride-hailing services. This creates continuous pressure for innovation and improvement, making digital transformation an ongoing process rather than a completed project.

Saudi Arabia's Next Digital Frontier: AI, Cloud, and Autonomous Government

If the first phase of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation focused on digitizing services, the next phase will focus on intelligence.

The Kingdom is increasingly positioning itself at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and advanced data infrastructure. These technologies have the potential to transform government from a system that responds to requests into one that anticipates needs before citizens make them.

The concept of an autonomous government is beginning to emerge globally. Rather than requiring citizens to apply for services, future systems may automatically identify eligibility, process requests, and deliver outcomes with minimal human intervention. In such a model, government becomes proactive rather than reactive.

Saudi Arabia is building many of the foundational components required for this transition. Massive investments in cloud infrastructure, national data platforms, and artificial intelligence capabilities are creating the digital backbone needed for next-generation public services.

Artificial intelligence could reshape everything from healthcare and education to urban planning and public safety. Instead of simply storing information, government systems can analyze patterns, forecast demand, detect inefficiencies, and improve resource allocation in real time.

Imagine a healthcare system that predicts patient needs before hospital overcrowding occurs. Imagine traffic systems that dynamically adjust to congestion patterns. Imagine business licensing processes that automatically identify required approvals and accelerate decision-making through AI-powered analysis.

The implications for economic competitiveness are equally significant. As nations compete to attract global investment, digital capability is becoming a key factor in business location decisions. Investors increasingly evaluate not only tax policies and infrastructure but also the efficiency of government interactions.

Cloud computing represents another strategic frontier. Data centers, cloud platforms, and digital infrastructure are becoming as important to modern economies as industrial zones were during previous development cycles. Countries capable of hosting and managing large-scale digital infrastructure gain advantages in attracting technology firms, supporting innovation ecosystems, and enabling AI development.

For Saudi Arabia, AI is not merely a technology strategy. It is becoming an economic strategy. The Kingdom's ambitions to become a regional hub for artificial intelligence, data services, and digital innovation suggest that the next chapter of transformation will be defined less by digitization and more by intelligence.

The Investment Race Behind the Digital State

Behind every seamless digital service lies a less visible story: one of massive investment.

The transformation of Saudi Arabia into a leading digital government has required billions of dollars in spending on telecommunications networks, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity systems, data centers, software development, and digital talent.

While citizens experience the convenience of digital platforms, investors increasingly recognize that digital infrastructure has become a strategic asset class.

The global race to build AI-ready economies is intensifying, and Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a major participant. Government entities, sovereign wealth funds, technology companies, and private investors are directing substantial capital toward infrastructure that will support the next generation of digital services.

Data centers illustrate this shift particularly well. Historically, governments invested heavily in roads, airports, and industrial facilities because these assets enabled economic growth. Today, data centers are increasingly viewed through the same lens. They form the backbone of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital commerce, and public-sector digitization.

The investment opportunity extends beyond infrastructure itself. Every new digital platform creates opportunities for startups, software providers, cybersecurity firms, fintech companies, and specialized technology service providers.

Saudi Arabia's startup ecosystem has benefited significantly from this dynamic. As government agencies digitized services, entrepreneurs identified gaps, developed complementary solutions, and created businesses around emerging digital needs. The result is a growing ecosystem where public-sector modernization generates private-sector innovation.

This relationship between government investment and entrepreneurial activity is becoming one of the defining characteristics of Saudi Arabia's digital economy. Public investment builds the foundation, while startups and private companies develop the applications, services, and business models that maximize its value.

In many ways, the digital state is no longer simply a governance project. It has become an investment story, attracting capital, creating markets, and generating new opportunities across the technology sector.

Beyond Efficiency: The Social Impact of Eliminating Waiting

The elimination of waiting is often discussed as a matter of efficiency. Yet its most significant effects may be social rather than operational.

Waiting has historically imposed unequal costs across society. Individuals with flexible schedules, financial resources, or geographic proximity to government offices could often navigate administrative systems more easily than others. Those living in remote areas, working multiple jobs, or balancing family responsibilities faced greater barriers.

Digital services have helped reduce many of these disparities.

Residents in smaller cities can now access services previously concentrated in major urban centers. Working parents can complete government transactions outside traditional office hours. Individuals with mobility challenges can engage with public institutions without needing to travel.

In this sense, digital transformation is not only improving service delivery but also expanding access.

The impact is particularly visible among women, entrepreneurs, and younger generations. Digital platforms have reduced procedural barriers, accelerated access to information, and created new pathways for economic participation. Many activities that once required physical presence can now be completed remotely, increasing flexibility and accessibility.

There is also a psychological dimension to this transformation. Citizens who experience responsive institutions tend to develop greater trust in public services. When government interactions become predictable, transparent, and efficient, confidence in institutions can strengthen.

This trust carries economic value. Businesses are more willing to invest when administrative processes are clear. Entrepreneurs are more likely to launch ventures when regulatory interactions are straightforward. Citizens are more likely to engage with public programs when access is simple and transparent.

Ultimately, the elimination of waiting represents something larger than a technological achievement. It signals a shift in the relationship between citizens and the state.

The digital government of the future will not be measured solely by the number of services it offers online. It will be measured by how effectively it removes friction from daily life, expands opportunity, and enables people to focus less on navigating bureaucracy and more on participating in the economy.

In that sense, Saudi Arabia's digital transformation is not merely changing how government works. It is reshaping how society functions.

For some groups, digital technologies have represented more than efficiency gains. They have become catalysts for empowerment and participation.

Among the most significant beneficiaries of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation have been women, who increasingly use digital platforms to access employment opportunities, launch businesses, manage financial activities, pursue education, and participate in public life.

The next episode in this series, "Women and the Digital Leap: How Technology Accelerated Female Participation in Society," explores how digital tools helped reshape women's economic and social participation and why that transformation may become one of the most enduring legacies of the Kingdom's digital revolution.

Noha Gad

Each year, millions of Muslims from around the world converge on Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, supported by a meticulously orchestrated logistics, housing, and transportation operation. This annual event has evolved far beyond its spiritual roots into one of the world’s most remarkable seasonal economic phenomena. For the Kingdom, Hajj is more than a religious obligation; it is a national priority, tightly tied to Vision 2030, the country’s long-term roadmap for economic transformation. Yet managing this massive influx within a confined geography and time window presents relentless challenges: infrastructure strain, crowd management, pricing regulation, and environmental sustainability. As Saudi Arabia opens its doors to increasing numbers of visitors, the Hajj economy stands as both a model of large-scale event logistics and a high-stakes test of the Kingdom’s economic transformation.

In Hajj 2026, the Kingdom welcomed over 1.7 million pilgrims from 165 nationalities, including 1.5 million external pilgrims and 160,646 internal pilgrims, marking the second-largest number following the 1.86 million pilgrims in 2019. According to recent statistics released by the General Statistics Authority (GASTAT), male pilgrims reached 893,396, representing 52.3% of the total number, while female pilgrims reached 813,905, accounting for 47.7% of the total number. These figures underscore Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to serve pilgrims and visitors of the Holy Mosque in Makkah, the sacred sites, and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, with a focus on care, organization, and hospitality. 

From vision to app: Digitizing the pilgrim journey

The Pilgrim Experience Program (PEP) is one of the programs designed to achieve Saudi Vision 2030. Launched in 2019 to enable the largest number of Muslims possible to perform Hajj and Umrah in the best manner, the program aims to facilitate hosting a larger number of Hajj and Umrah performers and streamlining access to the Haramain (the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Al-Madinah); providing high-quality services to pilgrims for a comprehensive and smooth experience; and enriching the religious and cultural experience of pilgrims by allowing them to visit Islamic historical and cultural sites.

The program is a model of agility, strategic excellence, and infrastructure, acting quickly to ensure a successful pilgrimage by safeguarding against threats and maintaining highly skilled personnel on hand. 

To further facilitate the pilgrims’ experience, the Kingdom launched the Nusuk platform and the Makkah Route initiative, reflecting a broader change: services are being adopted at scale, supporting a growing number of pilgrims with greater consistency and ease

With over 54 million users and more than 4 billion user interactions, Nusuk offers over 130 services and serves as a unified gateway for Muslims worldwide to plan their journeys in advance, access services, and manage their experience end-to-end. According to the Vision 20230 Annual Report 2025, the Makkah Route initiative enabled over 1.2 million pilgrims in 2025 to complete key procedures before departure, reducing waiting times and simplifying entry into the Kingdom, compared to 1,600 pilgrims in 2017.

Harnessing technology to enhance the Hajj experience

The success of the Hajj 2026 season underscored Saudi Arabia’s heavy investment in utilizing technology, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and smart services to improve crowd management and enhance operational efficiency. Through Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom installed high-end digitalization, medical technologies, and even AI-driven crowd control technologies to make the pilgrimage safer and smoother. The Saudi AI and Data Authority (SDAIA) led these efforts by operating several integrated AI-powered platforms and digital services throughout the pilgrimage journey.

AI-powered crowd management

One of the main areas of focus in the Hajj 2026 season is crowd management around the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the holy sites of Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah. According to SDAIA, platforms such as Baseer and Sawaher, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, use computer vision, thermal imaging, and AI-driven analytics to monitor crowd density and movement patterns in real time and regulate pedestrian and vehicle flows in high-density areas around holy sites. These systems analyze live video feeds and surveillance data to identify congestion points, predict crowd surges, and support faster decision-making by authorities. Along with crowd management, Saudi authorities leveraged AI for enhanced transportation coordination, better resource allocation, and more effective emergency response.

Multilingual robots

The Kingdom deployed multi-service AI-powered robots designed to provide religious guidance and real-time translation in several languages as part of a wider digital ecosystem aimed at enriching visitors’ spiritual and intellectual experience. The robot offers interactive religious and educational content through an easy-to-use interface, including information on locations and services inside the two holy mosques, answers to religious inquiries, and instant translation services to help visitors from different nationalities and cultures communicate more easily.

Smart support services

In addition to surveillance systems, Saudi Arabia offered several smart support services to help pilgrims during their trip. For instance, drones were deployed to quickly inspect and assess the situation with crowds, providing authorities with useful real-time data regarding areas that would have been hard to capture otherwise. Additionally, digital advisory systems, multilingual communication support, and mobile applications assisted pilgrims with their routes, access to services, and valuable updates.

Saudi authorities also provided a range of digital solutions to help pilgrims find transportation, accommodation, healthcare, and religious support data, using mobile apps to send real-time alerts and assistance in various languages.

Connectivity that serves faith: how telecoms power the Hajj

The telecommunications sector was instrumental in the success of Hajj 2026, with the Kingdom’s advanced digital infrastructure playing a pivotal role. The core of this success was a massive physical infrastructure deployment that included over 5,230 communication towers across Makkah, Madinah, and the holy sites, complemented by more than 31,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cables to ensure comprehensive 4G and 5G coverage.

Operators like stc Group employed AI-powered systems for real-time crowd analysis and predictive traffic steering, with AI systems managing more than 99.9% of automated analytics and network decisions during peak hours, while service quality-related tickets fell 13%.

The group also has over 450 network expansion operations to include more than 3,000 new coverage points and 1,100 outdoor sites. These expansions increased the total data traffic by 42% during the Day of Arafah, with 5G accounting for more than 51% of total usage and 5G adoption growing 16% year-on-year. Average download speeds increased 13% while latency was reduced by 50%. The network achieved a call completion success rate of 99.83%, with VoLTE success up 11% and overall operational availability reaching 99.9% throughout the day. 

Additionally, stc Group provided integrated digital services at the Makkah Route’s lounges across 17 entry points in 10 countries to facilitate Hajj pilgrims’ procedures.

Zain KSA also developed an integrated ecosystem to enhance connectivity quality and digital services for pilgrims. It achieved a 99.9% network availability in Makkah and the sacred sites, and witnessed a 99% rise in call quality compared to the previous year and an 18% rise in high-quality data traffic.

The operator launched the Smart Hajj Platform, an AI-powered platform for end-to-end network management across the Hajj zone, to enhance performance efficiency and improve connectivity during the Hajj season. The platform enabled real-time detection and analysis of challenges and autonomous fixes requiring zero human intervention, allowing network challenges to be addressed faster than traditional manual monitoring methods.

These figures reaffirm that Saudi Arabia is no longer simply hosting pilgrims; it is engineering an end-to-end digital pilgrimage ecosystem where technology anticipates needs, bridges languages, and safeguards lives. The Hajj 2026 season demonstrated that the Kingdom has successfully transformed religious observance into a seamlessly orchestrated, data-driven operation without diminishing its spiritual essence.

As Vision 2030 approaches its final stretch, the Hajj economy offers a replicable blueprint for other mega-events worldwide. However, the true measure of success remains deeply human: shorter waiting times, clearer guidance, safer crowds, and the quiet dignity of worshipers who can focus entirely on their devotion. The next article will focus on two equally vital pillars of the Hajj economy: healthcare resilience in mass gatherings and the transportation logistics that move millions across sacred sites with precision and safety.

Kholoud Hussein 

Saudi Arabia is witnessing the rise of a new socioeconomic force reshaping its cities, workplaces, and daily behaviors: the Digital Middle Class. This emerging demographic—defined not purely by income, but by digital fluency, technological consumption, and ability to thrive in a data-driven economy—is rapidly becoming one of the most important engines of national transformation. Powered by Vision 2030, fast-expanding digital infrastructure, and a tech-driven private sector, this group is changing not only how Saudis live, but how they learn, work, build wealth, and participate in the economy.

In earlier eras, entering the middle class required stable employment, home ownership, and rising disposable income. Today, digital fluency has become just as important. Access to cloud services, AI-driven productivity tools, fintech platforms, digital payments, e-commerce participation, and new types of online work are defining what opportunity looks like in Saudi Arabia. As a result, the new digital middle class is not a passive outcome of economic change—it is an active contributor to the Kingdom’s transformation.

“Digital transformation is not just a technological project. It is a social and economic movement,” Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha said recently. “Our goal is to empower every Saudi citizen with the tools needed to participate in a digital economy, and to lead in it, not just adapt to it.” His words reflect the government’s central thesis: expanding digital participation expands the middle class, and expanding the middle class accelerates the nation’s economic diversification.

A New Definition of Wealth: From Assets to Access and Digital Capability

Digital transformation has redefined what economic mobility looks like. Traditionally, wealth accumulation depended on physical assets—real estate, cars, or retail businesses. But digital-era wealth often grows from intangible assets: data literacy, technological skills, digital entrepreneurship, ability to sell services online, and participation in the digital financial ecosystem.

Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies, with the ICT sector surpassing $40 billion in market size and maintaining growth rates far above global averages. This economic expansion has created new pathways into the middle class—ones that do not require traditional capital.

Skills such as coding, cloud computing, fintech operations, digital marketing, and AI analysis now open doors to higher-income employment. Remote work, freelancing platforms, and digital marketplaces such as Marsool, Salla, Zid, and Jahez have enabled thousands of Saudis to run businesses with minimal overhead. Even the creative economy has become a serious economic opportunity, with thousands entering fields like game development, digital art, and content production.

For many Saudis entering this new class, the smartphone—not a storefront or an office—has become their first business tool.

How Digital Transformation Expanded the Middle Class

The expansion of digital access has been foundational. Saudi Arabia today ranks among the top nations globally in 5G deployment and internet speed, and more than 98% of the population is connected online. This digital infrastructure has become the gateway to new economic participation.

Government-led platforms such as Absher, Tawakkalna, Nafath, and Musaned have normalized digital trust and online service use, reducing barriers that once required physical presence and long processing times. This shift has empowered citizens to perceive digital services as reliable, safe, and efficient—key ingredients for the rise of the digital middle class.

The digital payments revolution has been equally transformative. The Saudi Central Bank reports that digital payment adoption exceeded 62% in 2023, surpassing Vision 2030’s original target seven years ahead of schedule. This shift has enabled new financial behaviors: online purchases, subscription-based services, e-wallet savings, and investment through digital platforms.

Fintech startups such as Tamara, HyperPay, STC Pay, Tabby, and Raqamyah have introduced financial tools that were previously difficult to access, from installment payments to peer-to-peer financing and micro-investment platforms. As fintech penetration deepened, financial inclusion expanded, allowing more Saudis to build credit histories, access new types of capital, and participate in the digital economy.

The Digital Skills Boom and the Birth of a New Labor Force

One of the most significant shifts is the transformation of the labor force. Saudi Arabia has invested billions into upskilling its population, with programs from SDAIA, MCIT, and Human Capability Development Program (HCDP) targeting emerging fields such as AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and software engineering.

The government announced that more than 100,000 Saudis will be trained in AI and advanced technologies by 2030. These investments are not academic exercises; they are building a workforce capable of supporting a trillion-riyal digital economy.

This new labor force is essential for the rise of the digital middle class. Higher-skilled digital roles offer higher salaries, flexible work, and career mobility—traits that rapidly elevate individuals into middle-class stability. Remote work adoption has also increased dramatically, enabling Saudis—especially youth and women—to enter the labor market on new terms.

Female participation in the workforce has surged past 34 percent, a milestone that would not have been possible without digital work environments and technology-enabled jobs. Many of these new participants are entering tech-enabled roles in e-commerce, cloud services, fintech operations, and digital content creation.

Startups as Engines of Digital Mobility

Startups have become one of the most influential forces accelerating the rise of the digital middle class in Saudi Arabia. Already, the Kingdom is the fastest-growing startup market in MENA, attracting more than $1.38 billion in VC investments in 2023 alone.

Startups across sectors—including mobility, logistics, AI, fintech, healthtech, and retail tech—are not only generating economic value but also creating new types of digital employment.

Examples include:

• Jahez, HungerStation, and Mrsool – enabling gig-work and flexible income generation.
• Salla and Zid – empowering thousands of small online merchants to launch digital stores with minimal technical knowledge.
• Lean Technologies and Hakbah – building fintech rails that democratize access to financial services.
• Taffi and Labayh – creating new digital service categories in mental wellness and personal styling.

These startups are directly supporting the expansion of the digital middle class by creating new revenue channels, entrepreneur-friendly tools, and knowledge-based employment. Their models lower entry barriers and expand economic inclusion.

Startups are also filling market gaps—payment infrastructure, logistics optimization, AI-driven services, digital ID systems—that directly enhance citizens’ ability to participate in the digital economy.

The Private Sector’s Expanding Role

As the Kingdom continues its diversification roadmap, the private sector has become a major driver of digital transformation. Telecom companies such as STC, Mobily, and Zain have built world-class digital infrastructure. Banks and fintechs are investing heavily in digital-first strategies. Large retailers are digitizing entire supply chains, onboarding thousands of Saudi employees into tech-enabled roles.

Global tech players, including Google Cloud, Oracle, and Huawei, have opened cloud regions in Saudi Arabia, bringing with them skills development programs and new job opportunities.

These investments create an environment where digital middle-class behaviors—online consumption, digital entrepreneurship, remote employment—become the norm rather than the exception.

Private sector innovation is also accelerating the adoption of new technologies. From AI-driven healthcare platforms to robotics in logistics, technology is reshaping service accessibility and quality. As these services expand, so does demand for digital talent, further strengthening the digital middle class.

Digital Trust: The Foundation of Behavior Change

The shift in Saudi citizens’ confidence in digital services cannot be overstated. According to SDAIA, public trust in government digital platforms exceeds 90 percent, one of the highest levels globally. This trust is the backbone of digital transformation.

When citizens believe that digital platforms are secure, reliable, and efficient, they adopt them with confidence. This adoption reduces transaction costs, increases economic participation, and boosts productivity—key characteristics of a stable middle class.

Startups play a meaningful role here. By offering secure, user-friendly, and transparent services, they reinforce the culture of digital trust. Fintech companies, in particular, invest heavily in compliance, security, and transparency—strengthening users' confidence in managing money online.

The Future: A Digital Middle Class That Builds, Not Just Consumes

As Saudi Arabia evolves into a digital-first economy, the digital middle class is expected to become an even more influential driver of economic growth. By 2030, the Kingdom aims for:

• A digital economy contributing 30 percent of GDP
• Hundreds of thousands of high-skilled digital jobs
• A global leadership position in AI and cloud-driven industries
• A thriving digital entrepreneurship ecosystem

The future digital middle class will not simply consume technology. It will build it—creating intellectual property, launching startups, exporting digital services, and shaping the Kingdom’s place in the global digital economy.

The rise of AI-native startups, deep-tech ventures, and digital-first SMEs demonstrates this shift. As more Saudi citizens gain advanced digital skills, the country transitions from being a user of global technologies to becoming a producer of them.

Finally, the rise of the digital middle class in Saudi Arabia represents far more than the adoption of apps or online platforms. It marks the restructuring of society around new definitions of opportunity, skill, and economic participation.

Saudi Arabia’s transformation is not only digital—it is deeply social, driven by a new generation that sees technology not as a tool, but as a pathway to agency, competitiveness, and global relevance.

As Vision 2030 continues to unfold, the digital middle class will remain one of the central pillars of economic diversification. Strong digital infrastructure, high adoption rates, a flourishing startup ecosystem, and ambitious government programs are transforming the Kingdom into a global model for digital economic development.