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MarketMiddle East

Payments in the Middle East: Instant rails and national networks

Gulf states are rebuilding their payment infrastructure around instant, alias-based transfers. The UAE launched Aani in 2023 and Saudi Arabia launched sarie in 2021, next to a long-established national card network, mada.
Talk to sales Payment methods
Currencies
AED · SAR
Key rails
Aani · sarie · mada
Availability
Confirmed at onboarding

Local payment ecosystem

How the Middle East pays

Cards, including national networks, and wallets lead at checkout, while new instant rails make bank transfers fast and alias-based. As these rails grow, merchants increasingly offer account-to-account options alongside cards.
  • Aani in the UAE since 2023
  • sarie in Saudi Arabia since 2021
  • mada national network

Payment methods and rails

The rails behind everyday payments

Facts below come from the central banks and scheme operators that run them; numbers in brackets point to the sources at the end of the page.
Payment rails in the Middle East
Rail or methodTypeWhereWhat to know
AaniInstant paymentsUAELaunched in October 2023 by Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE; pay by phone number or QR code, 24/7.[1]
sarieInstant paymentsSaudi ArabiaThe Saudi Central Bank's instant payment system, launched on 21 February 2021.[2]
madaNational payment networkSaudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia's national payment network, established by the Saudi Central Bank in 1990 (formerly SPAN).[3]

Rails described as they operate in the market. Which methods LILPE connects for your business is confirmed during onboarding.

Currency

  • AEDUAE dirham
  • SARSaudi riyal

Settlement

Settlement options for this market, including currency and destination account, are confirmed during onboarding. Nothing on this page claims a specific settlement option.

Routing considerations

Orchestrating payments in the Middle East

An orchestration layer sends each payment to an eligible provider by your rules and recent performance. In this market, these are the decisions that usually matter.
  1. Customer in the Middle EastLocal methods and cards
  2. LILPEOne API and dashboard
  3. Routing engineRules, health, cost
  4. ProvidersServing the Middle East, as connected
  5. Local railsAani, sarie
Illustrative flow. Which providers and rails are connected for your business is confirmed during onboarding.

  • National networks

    Domestic cards may need a provider that supports the national network; route them accordingly.

  • Instant rails for payouts

    Use alias-based instant transfers where providers support them.

  • Local vs cross-border

    Compare a local provider with a cross-border route on approval and cost.

Merchant use cases

Who sells and pays in the Middle East

  • Selling into the Gulf

    Cards, national networks and wallets behind one integration.

  • Travel and hospitality

    Bookings and deposits from Gulf customers.

  • Remittance-linked businesses

    Payouts and collections where providers are connected.

Integration approach

Add a market without a new integration

Your code talks to LILPE once. Markets, providers and methods are added behind that integration, where available.
  1. 01

    Tell us your markets

    Where you sell, the methods customers expect and your volumes.

  2. 02

    Providers confirmed

    We confirm which providers, methods and settlement options are available for your business.

  3. 03

    Integrate once

    One request pattern and one webhook stream, tested in the sandbox.

  4. 04

    Go live, then expand

    Adding or switching a provider needs no change to your code.

Availability and settlement options are confirmed during onboarding.

LILPE Global Presence

Where to find LILPE in the Middle East

LILPE's office in the Middle East, and the coworking / business center where LILPE holds a local business address. To reach the team, use the contact page.

LILPE office

  • United Arab Emirates

    UAE Office

    48, Sheikh Zayed Rd,Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai,Dubai, United Arab Emirates
All offices and contact channels

Coworking / Business Center Location

  • Local Business Address

    Coworking / Business Center

    Servcorp Olaya Towers

    Country
    Saudi Arabia
    City
    Riyadh
    Complete address
    Level 25 & 29, Olaya Towers, Tower B, Intersection of Tahlia Street & Olaya Street, Riyadh 11523
    Postal code
    11523
    Official website
    servcorp.com.sa(opens in a new tab)

    Not a LILPE office. Address checked on the operator's website on 7 October 2026.

A coworking / business center location is a local business address, not a LILPE office. It doesn't indicate a local licence or that LILPE services are available in the Middle East. Availability and settlement options are confirmed during onboarding.

FAQ

Middle East questions

Is LILPE live in the Middle East?

Which markets, providers and payment methods are available for your business is confirmed during onboarding. This page explains how payments work in the Middle East and how an orchestration layer fits; it isn't a list of live LILPE connections.

What can you pay with Aani?

Aani lets users send money with only the recipient's phone number, request money, split bills and pay merchants by QR code, instantly and around the clock.

Can LILPE settle in this market's currency?

Settlement options, including currency and destination account, are confirmed during onboarding. LILPE's global collection pages describe settlement in INR to an Indian account through cross-border providers; nothing on this page claims other settlement options.

Sources

  1. [1]Central Bank of the UAE — Al Etihad Payments launches Aani, an instant payments platform
  2. [2]Saudi Central Bank — Instant Payments Launch (SARIE)
  3. [3]Saudi Central Bank — The new identity of the Saudi Payment Network (mada)

Researched 7 October 2026. Market facts describe the payment systems, not LILPE's connections.

Expanding into the Middle East?

Tell us where you sell and which providers you use today. We'll confirm what's available and show you the setup on LILPE.

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