{"id":84525,"date":"2026-09-17T12:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T09:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T12:35:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T09:35:41","slug":"saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi ICT Sector Weekly: BARQ Achieves Unicorn Status as Major Deals and AI Initiatives Expand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Saudi ICT sector recorded notable funding rounds, major corporate acquisitions, and key regulatory advancements during the third week of September 2026. These developments reflect continuous progress across <a href=\"\/category\/economy\/\">fintech<\/a>, artificial intelligence, and digital communications infrastructure.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Funding in the Saudi ICT sector<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saudi fintech company BARQ closed a Series A funding round of $329.5 million at a valuation of $1.85 billion, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/aawsat.com\/node\/5318896\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Asharq Al-Awsat<\/a>. This transaction strengthens the capitalization of the company as it scales its financial services operations.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, Saudi corporate travel platform FlyAkeed secured SAR 94.3 million in growth funding, as reported by <a href=\"http:\/\/wamda.com\/2026\/09\/saudi-flyakeed-secures-25-15-million-scale-enterprise-travel-platform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wamda<\/a>. The financing structure combines direct equity investment with Murabaha sukuk financing to support enterprise platform expansion.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Major Deals and Strategic Contracts<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Payment solutions provider PayTabs completed the acquisition of Amazon Payment Services&#8217; MENA operations for an amount exceeding $100 million, reported <a href=\"http:\/\/wamda.com\/2026\/09\/paytabs-strikes-100-million-deal-amazon-payment-services-mena\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wamda<\/a>. The acquisition expands the regional footprint of PayTabs in digital payment processing.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Alswaha, held a meeting with Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman. The two sides agreed to accelerate <a href=\"\/category\/ai\/\">artificial intelligence<\/a> infrastructure expansion, scale computing capabilities in Saudi Arabia, and advance the dedicated AI Zone development, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/McitGovSa\/status\/2099957934847594591\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @McitGovSa<\/a> and an additional statement on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/McitGovSa\/status\/2099956779006447947\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @McitGovSa<\/a>.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Regulatory Milestones and Policy Frameworks<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) reported that fintech investments in Saudi Arabia surpassed $8 billion, with 371 fintech companies operating by the end of August 2026, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/aawsat.com\/node\/5318531\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Asharq Al-Awsat<\/a>. Consequently, SAMA confirmed it is studying the rollout of a direct payment service via bank accounts to provide new payment alternatives for merchants and consumers, reported <a href=\"https:\/\/www.okaz.com.sa\/economy\/na\/2266301\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Okaz<\/a>.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In AI governance, SDAIA co-chairs the Global Network of AI Regulators (GNAIS) and took part in a panel discussion on international governance cooperation during the Digital Government Forum, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SDAIA_SA\/status\/2100236654132727845\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @SDAIA_SA<\/a>. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia co-hosted an event on AI policy tools alongside the OECD and the Global Partnership on AI at the GFEAI forum, as noted by <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SDAIA_SA\/status\/2100154288244658388\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @SDAIA_SA<\/a>. SDAIA also formally designated Riyadh as a global AI hub under the 2026 AI Year program, reported on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SDAIA_SA\/status\/2099913240767570135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @SDAIA_SA<\/a>.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Platform Launches and Sector Programs<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GFEAI forum launched an AI event in Riyadh at the Ritz-Carlton running from 15 to 17 September 2026 to present regional AI initiatives, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SDAIA_SA\/status\/2100335098608419218\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @SDAIA_SA<\/a>. Separately, Sema introduced an updated version of its Mulam platform to clarify credit rating factors for consumers, as covered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.okaz.com.sa\/economy\/na\/2266310\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Okaz<\/a>.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SDAIA introduced professional badges in data and artificial intelligence to certify technical credentials for engineers and data scientists, per <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SDAIA_SA\/status\/2100221367765406105\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @SDAIA_SA<\/a>. In enterprise growth, BARQ became Saudi Arabia&#8217;s ninth technology unicorn after reaching a valuation above $1 billion, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/McitGovSa\/status\/2099954975946207551\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @McitGovSa<\/a>. Finally, CST partnered with the International Telecommunication Union to organize the Global Space Communications and Sustainability event under ministerial patronage, as detailed by <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CST_KSA\/status\/2099949025801773556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X @CST_KSA<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saudi Arabia recorded key ICT developments including BARQ becoming a tech unicorn, PayTabs acquiring Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new AI policy initiatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_pr_autopilot_social_copy":"{\"x_hook\":\"Saudi fintech BARQ secured $329.5M at a $1.85B valuation to become the Kingdom's 9th unicorn, while PayTabs acquired Amazon Payment Services MENA for over $100M.\",\"x_takeaways\":\"Key Details:\\n\ud83d\udd39 BARQ raised $329.5M at a $1.85B valuation as Saudi Arabia's 9th unicorn\\n\ud83d\udd39 PayTabs acquired Amazon Payment Services MENA operations for $100M+\\n\ud83d\udd39 FlyAkeed closed SAR 94.3M growth funding via equity and Murabaha sukuk\\n\ud83d\udd39 SAMA reported fintech investments exceeded $8B across 371 companies\\n\ud83d\udd39 SDAIA designated Riyadh as a global AI hub for the 2026 AI Year\"}","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_title":"Saudi ICT Sector Weekly: BARQ Hits Unicorn Status and Major Deals Close","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_description":"Key tech deals across Saudi Arabia include BARQ's $329.5M round, PayTabs acquiring Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new SAMA and SDAIA policy updates.","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image_id":84524,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter_title":"Saudi ICT Sector: Key Deals, Funding, and Policy Updates","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_description":"BARQ reaches unicorn status, PayTabs buys Amazon Payment Services MENA, and SAMA reports $8B in fintech investments.","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image_id":84524,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":24,"_extra_hide_author_box":"1","_extra_featured_post":"0","_partner_post_id":115725,"footnotes":""},"categories":[449,24,22],"tags":[2176,5843,2947,2661,762],"class_list":["post-84525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","category-economy","category-telecom","tag-audi-saudi-arabia","tag-barq","tag-dubai-fintech","tag-sama-x","tag-sdaia","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Saudi ICT sector - Weekly Deals &amp; Policy | Saudi Shopper<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Saudi ICT sector recorded over $329 million for BARQ, PayTabs acquisition of Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new AI governance initiatives.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saudi ICT sector - Weekly Deals &amp; Policy | Saudi Shopper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Saudi ICT sector recorded over $329 million for BARQ, PayTabs acquisition of Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new AI governance initiatives.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saudishopper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SaudiShopper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-17T09:35:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-17T09:35:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"saudishopper\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ssict\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ssict\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"saudishopper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"saudishopper\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/75f95b68a450c611a56cdd18d6b2c667\"},\"headline\":\"Saudi ICT Sector Weekly: BARQ Achieves Unicorn Status as Major Deals and AI Initiatives Expand\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-17T09:35:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-17T09:35:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":480,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Audi Saudi Arabia\",\"Barq\",\"Dubai Fintech\",\"Sama X\",\"SDAIA\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Artificial Intelligence\",\"Economy &amp; Business\",\"Telecommunications\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Saudi ICT sector - Weekly Deals & Policy | Saudi Shopper\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-17T09:35:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-17T09:35:41+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Saudi ICT sector recorded over $329 million for BARQ, PayTabs acquisition of Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new AI governance initiatives.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628,\"caption\":\"Saudi ICT sector office workspace with technology professionals in Riyadh\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Saudi ICT Sector Weekly: BARQ Achieves Unicorn Status as Major Deals and AI Initiatives Expand\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Saudishopper\",\"description\":\"Saudi ICT Shopper News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Saudi ICT News\",\"alternateName\":\"Saudi ICT Shopper News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/SSTrans.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/SSTrans.png\",\"width\":423,\"height\":165,\"caption\":\"Saudi ICT News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SaudiShopper\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ssict\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/75f95b68a450c611a56cdd18d6b2c667\",\"name\":\"saudishopper\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b02621f0881cdcf27f6e1ea0dd3fac1d5934209dcb8becac4f4fffe5abf17ea?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fsaudishopper.com.sa%2Fen%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2Fcropped-ss-icon--150x150.png&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b02621f0881cdcf27f6e1ea0dd3fac1d5934209dcb8becac4f4fffe5abf17ea?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fsaudishopper.com.sa%2Fen%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2Fcropped-ss-icon--150x150.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b02621f0881cdcf27f6e1ea0dd3fac1d5934209dcb8becac4f4fffe5abf17ea?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fsaudishopper.com.sa%2Fen%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2Fcropped-ss-icon--150x150.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"saudishopper\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/saudishopper.com.sa\\\/en\\\/author\\\/saudishopper\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Saudi ICT sector - Weekly Deals & Policy | Saudi Shopper","description":"The Saudi ICT sector recorded over $329 million for BARQ, PayTabs acquisition of Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new AI governance initiatives.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Saudi ICT sector - Weekly Deals & Policy | Saudi Shopper","og_description":"The Saudi ICT sector recorded over $329 million for BARQ, PayTabs acquisition of Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new AI governance initiatives.","og_url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/","og_site_name":"Saudishopper","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SaudiShopper","article_published_time":"2026-09-17T09:35:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-17T09:35:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"saudishopper","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ssict","twitter_site":"@ssict","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"saudishopper","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"saudishopper","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/75f95b68a450c611a56cdd18d6b2c667"},"headline":"Saudi ICT Sector Weekly: BARQ Achieves Unicorn Status as Major Deals and AI Initiatives Expand","datePublished":"2026-09-17T09:35:17+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-17T09:35:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/"},"wordCount":480,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp","keywords":["Audi Saudi Arabia","Barq","Dubai Fintech","Sama X","SDAIA"],"articleSection":["Artificial Intelligence","Economy &amp; Business","Telecommunications"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/","name":"Saudi ICT sector - Weekly Deals & Policy | Saudi Shopper","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp","datePublished":"2026-09-17T09:35:17+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-17T09:35:41+00:00","description":"The Saudi ICT sector recorded over $329 million for BARQ, PayTabs acquisition of Amazon Payment Services MENA, and new AI governance initiatives.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saudi-ict-sector-technology-deals-riyadh.webp","width":1200,"height":628,"caption":"Saudi ICT sector office workspace with technology professionals in Riyadh"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/saudi-ict-sector-weekly-deals-policy-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Saudi ICT Sector Weekly: BARQ Achieves Unicorn Status as Major Deals and AI Initiatives Expand"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/","name":"Saudishopper","description":"Saudi ICT Shopper News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#organization","name":"Saudi ICT News","alternateName":"Saudi ICT Shopper News","url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/SSTrans.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/SSTrans.png","width":423,"height":165,"caption":"Saudi ICT News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SaudiShopper","https:\/\/x.com\/ssict"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/75f95b68a450c611a56cdd18d6b2c667","name":"saudishopper","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b02621f0881cdcf27f6e1ea0dd3fac1d5934209dcb8becac4f4fffe5abf17ea?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fsaudishopper.com.sa%2Fen%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2Fcropped-ss-icon--150x150.png&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b02621f0881cdcf27f6e1ea0dd3fac1d5934209dcb8becac4f4fffe5abf17ea?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fsaudishopper.com.sa%2Fen%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2Fcropped-ss-icon--150x150.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b02621f0881cdcf27f6e1ea0dd3fac1d5934209dcb8becac4f4fffe5abf17ea?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fsaudishopper.com.sa%2Fen%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2Fcropped-ss-icon--150x150.png&r=g","caption":"saudishopper"},"url":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/author\/saudishopper\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84525"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84526,"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84525\/revisions\/84526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}