Middle East: High Growth, Thin Published Pricing (2026)
The Gulf is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce regions in the world, and, fittingly for the region, one of its biggest processors, Checkout.com, was founded in Dubai. But published flat rates are scarce: Stripe operates in the UAE and Saudi Arabia on country pricing, PayTabs anchors the regional specialist field, and most pricing beyond that is negotiated.
Regional providers compared
| Provider | Role / Type | Markets Covered | Local Debit Switch Rate | Visa / Mastercard Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Global Card Gateway | UAE (AED), Saudi Arabia (SAR) | Country pricing (SAR) | 2.9% + AED 1.00 (UAE); +1% foreign cards |
| Moyasar / Geidea | Saudi Gateways & Acquirer | Saudi Arabia (SAR), UAE, Egypt | mada: 1.75% (+15% VAT) | 2.7%–2.75% + SAR 1.00 (+15% VAT) |
| Tap Payments / MyFatoorah / PayTabs | Pan-GCC Specialists | SA, AE, KW, BH, OM, QA, JO, EG | KNET: 1.0%–1.5% · Benefit: 1.5% · mada: 1.75% | 2.65%–2.85% + fixed fee |
| Telr | GCC Card Gateway | UAE (AED), Saudi Arabia (SAR) | Included in plan | 2.49% + AED/SAR 0.50 (Medium plan) + monthly fee |
| Sadad Qatar | Qatari Gateway | Qatar (QAR) | NAPS debit: 1.5%–1.9% | 2.65%–2.9% credit cards |
| PayPlus / Tranzila / Meshulam | Israeli Clearing Gateways | Israel (ILS) | 1.35%–1.5% domestic clearing | 1.35%–1.5% domestic; +1.5%–2% tourist cards |
| Checkout.com / Network International / Adyen | Enterprise Acquirers | UAE (Dubai HQ), Saudi Arabia, wider MENA | Interchange++ (custom) | Negotiated enterprise pricing |
Gateway landscape by currency
Below is the Middle East & Caucasus currency landscape separated into card gateways & bank acquirers versus digital wallets, national debit switches & QR rails.
1. Card gateways & bank acquirers by currency
| Currency | Market | Card Gateways (Published Rates) | Bank Acquirers & Enterprise Processors |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED | United Arab Emirates | Telr (2.49% + AED 0.50), Tap Payments (2.75% + AED 1), MyFatoorah (2.75% + AED 1), PayTabs (2.85% + AED 1), Stripe (2.9% + AED 1) | Network International, Geidea, Checkout.com, Adyen, Mashreq NeoPay |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia | Geidea (1.75% mada / 2.7% + SAR 1 Visa/MC), Moyasar (1.75% mada / 2.75% + SAR 1), Tap Payments (1.75% mada / 2.75% + SAR 1), PayTabs (2.7% + SAR 1), Telr | Stripe Saudi Arabia, Saudi National Bank (SNB) / Al Rajhi acquiring, Checkout.com, Network International |
| QAR | Qatar | Sadad Qatar (2.65%), Tap Payments (2.75% + QAR 1), MyFatoorah (2.75% + QAR 1), PayTabs (2.85% + QAR 1) | QNB (Qatar National Bank) & Commercial Bank e-commerce acquiring |
| KWD / BHD / OMR | Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman | MyFatoorah (1.0%–1.5% local debit / 2.5%–2.75% credit), Tap Payments (1.5% local / 2.75% credit), PayTabs (2.75%–2.85%) | Network International, CrediMax (Bahrain), Bank Muscat (Oman), KNET (Kuwait) |
| JOD | Jordan | PayTabs Jordan (2.85% + 0.100 JOD), Tap Payments (2.85% + 0.150 JOD), MyFatoorah (2.9% + 0.150 JOD) | Network International Jordan, Arab Bank, MEPS |
| ILS | Israel | Tranzila (1.35%), PayPlus (1.4%), Meshulam / Grow (1.5%), Rapyd (2.2%) | Isracard, Max, Cal (direct Israeli credit card clearing companies), Nuvei |
| AMD / AZN | Armenia, Azerbaijan | Payriff Azerbaijan (1.8% AZN), Epoint.az (2.0% AZN), Ameriabank vPOS Armenia (2.0% AMD) | ArCa (Armenian Card switch), Kapital Bank / PASHA Bank (Azerbaijan) |
2. Wallets, national debit switches & QR rails by currency
| Currency | Market | Wallets, National Debit Switches & BNPL | Published Merchant Rate & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAR | Saudi Arabia | STC Pay (wallet), mada (national debit), Tabby / Tamara (BNPL) | STC Pay: 1.5% · mada debit: 1.75% (carries >70% of domestic card volume) |
| AED | United Arab Emirates | Jaywan (domestic scheme), Apple Pay / Samsung Pay, Tabby / Tamara, PayPal | Tabby & Tamara BNPL are staples at Gulf checkouts (merchant fee ~4%–6% per contract) |
| QAR | Qatar | SkipCash (Qatari QR & mobile wallet), NAPS / Himyan (national debit), PayPal | SkipCash: 1.5% + QAR 0.50 · NAPS local debit via Sadad: 1.5%–1.9% |
| KWD / BHD / OMR / JOD | Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan | KNET (Kuwait), BenefitPay (Bahrain wallet & Fawri+), OmanNet (Oman), CliQ (Jordan instant rail) | KNET: 1.0%–1.5% · BenefitPay: ~1.5% · OmanNet: 1.5% via Tap & MyFatoorah |
| ILS | Israel | Bit (Bank Hapoalim wallet), PayBox, Apple Pay, PayPal Israel | Bit & PayBox are bundled inside PayPlus & Meshulam (~1.4%–1.5%) · PayPal IL: 3.4% + 1.20 ₪ |
| AMD / AZN | Armenia, Azerbaijan | Idram (Armenia wallet & QR), Telcell, Birbank / m10 (Azerbaijan) | Idram QR & wallet checkout: 1.5% in Armenia · Birbank QR via Payriff: 1.8% in Azerbaijan |
What to watch
- BNPL is huge in the Gulf (Tabby, Tamara), many checkouts offer it alongside cards; its merchant fees are separate from card rates and usually per-contract.
- Local debit switches beat credit cards: Saudi mada (1.75%), Kuwaiti KNET (1%–1.5%), Bahraini BenefitPay (1.5%) and Omani OmanNet (1.5%) all price well below international Visa/Mastercard rates.
- 3-decimal currencies: KWD, BHD, OMR and JOD use three decimal places (fils/baisa), verify fixed-fee minimums when comparing small tickets.
Currencies in this region
Run your own numbers in the fee calculator (AED, SAR, QAR, KWD, BHD, OMR, JOD and ILS are all supported), or start from the AED and SAR comparison tables.