# Geidea

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/geidea
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Geidea — official](https://www.geidea.net/)

## Overview

**Geidea** is **Saudi Arabia's #1 payment-acceptance provider** with **75% market share in Saudi payment-acceptance space** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Saudi Arabia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SA)</sup>. Geidea operates:
- **700,000+ payment terminals** across Saudi Arabia
- **150,000+ merchants** in SA + beyond (UAE + Egypt)
- **5+ million transactions daily** (~150M monthly)

**2018 Gulf Capital acquisition** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: **SAR 1 billion (~$268 million)** acquisition by **Gulf Capital** — provided financial impetus for Geidea's regional expansion.

**2025 milestone** <sup>[4][4]</sup>: **Geidea selected as official POS + payments partner of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix** — distinctive UAE expansion + global F1-brand association.

**April 2026 Planet partnership** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: **Currency-conversion services** for SA tourists integrated into Geidea POS terminals — distinctive SA-tourist-handling expansion.

## History

**2008 — Geidea founded** in Saudi Arabia by **Abdullah Al Othman** — Saudi payment-acceptance pioneer.

**2008-2017 — Saudi POS dominance build-up** <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

**2018 — Gulf Capital acquisition for SAR 1B (~$268M)** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: Regional-expansion capital injection.

**2020-2024 — Regional expansion** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: UAE + Egypt offices.

**2025 — Abu Dhabi Grand Prix POS partner + 5M daily tx milestone** <sup>[4][4]</sup>.

**April 2026 — Planet partnership** for currency conversion <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Geidea** (Saudi-founded; Gulf Capital-acquired since 2018).

**Founder**: **Abdullah Al Othman**.

**Major shareholder**: **Gulf Capital** (acquired Geidea for SAR 1B in 2018).

**Regulator**: **SAMA (Saudi Central Bank)** — Payment Service Provider (PSP) license.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | Geidea POS terminals (700K+) + SoftPOS (mobile-as-POS) + payment gateway + API |
| **Identifiers** | Card + Mada (SA national debit) |
| **SA rail** | **[Mada](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mada)** (Saudi national debit + POS-mandatory) |
| **Sub-products** | Point-of-sale terminals + SoftPOS + payment gateway + e-commerce checkout + merchant services + Planet currency conversion (Apr 2026+) |
| **Countries** | SA primary + AE + EG |
| **License** | SAMA Payment Service Provider |

## Users & growth

**2025 baseline** <sup>[1][1], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Saudi payment-acceptance market share**: **75%** (Geidea is SA #1 by far)
- **Payment terminals**: 700,000+ in SA + beyond
- **Merchants served**: 150,000+
- **Daily transactions**: 5+ million (~150M monthly)
- **Strategic 2025 milestone**: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix POS partner

## Use cases

SA + UAE + EG merchant payment-acceptance via 700K+ Geidea POS terminals; Mada card payments (SA-mandatory); e-commerce checkout via Geidea payment gateway; SoftPOS (mobile-as-terminal); Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025+ POS partner (F1 hospitality); Planet currency-conversion services for SA tourists (Apr 2026+).

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **Geidea** (Gulf Capital-acquired since 2018; founder Abdullah Al Othman).

**Major shareholder**: **Gulf Capital** (SAR 1B / $268M acquisition 2018).

**Strategic partners (2025-2026)**:
- **Abu Dhabi Grand Prix** (POS partner 2025+)
- **Planet** (currency-conversion services Apr 2026+)
- **First Abu Dhabi Bank + Magnati** (KSA strategic alliance to strengthen digital foothold)

**Major Saudi payment-processor competitors**:
- **[PayTabs](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/paytabs)** (SA payment-orchestration; SAR 325B tx; AI-powered)
- **[Hala](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/hala)** (Saudi SME comprehensive infrastructure)
- **HyperPay** (Saudi-headquartered MENA payment gateway)
- **Tap Payments** (Kuwait-headquartered MENA gateway)
- **Telr** (UAE-Singapore payment gateway)

**Regulator**: **SAMA**.

## Fun facts

- **Saudi Arabia's #1 payment-acceptance provider** — 75% market share.
- **700,000+ payment terminals + 150,000+ merchants + 5M+ daily tx**.
- **2018 Gulf Capital acquisition for SAR 1B (~$268M)** — major SA-fintech-PE deal.
- **2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix POS partner** — distinctive F1 global brand association.
- **April 2026 Planet currency-conversion partnership** — SA-tourist expansion.
- **FAB + Magnati KSA strategic alliance** — Saudi cross-border-payment ecosystem alignment.
- **Founder Abdullah Al Othman** — SA payment-acceptance pioneer (2008).

## Comparison

| Feature | Geidea | [PayTabs](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/paytabs) (SA payment-orchestration rival) | [Hala](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/hala) (Saudi SME analogous) | [Foodics](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/foodics) (SA F&B SaaS + payments) | Network International (UAE rival) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Geidea (Gulf Capital-acquired 2018; founder Abdullah Al Othman)** | PayTabs (Abdulaziz Al Jouf 2014) | Hala (TPG + Sanabil $157M Sep 2025) | Foodics (Ahmad AlZaini CEO; Prosus + Sanabil) | Network International (Brookfield-acquired Sep 2024 $2.76B) |
| Type | **SA #1 payment-acceptance + POS + SoftPOS + e-commerce gateway** | SA payment-orchestration + AI-powered + Paymes super-app | Saudi SME comprehensive financial infrastructure | GCC restaurant SaaS + POS + payments | UAE payment processor + Magnati merger 2025 |
| Country | SA + AE + EG | SA + MENA | SA + UAE | SA + AE + EG + 5 more GCC | UAE + 50+ markets |
| Market share | **75% SA payment-acceptance (SA #1 by far)** | Card volume biggest SA online | SME-focused | 33,500+ GCC restaurant branches | $400B+ combined TPV (post-Magnati merger) |
| 2025 distinctive | **Abu Dhabi Grand Prix POS partner; Apr 2026 Planet currency conversion; FAB+Magnati KSA alliance** | SAR 325B tx; AI-powered platform; first Arab top-100 global fintech (Oct 2024) | Sep 2025 $157M (TPG + Sanabil) | $6B H1 2025 GMV (+27%); $170M 2022 Series C (largest MENA SaaS) | Brookfield-Magnati merger 2025; 250+ FIs / 240K+ merchants / 20M+ cardholders |

## Status

**Active, Saudi Arabia's #1 payment-acceptance provider** <sup>[1][1], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Geidea** (Gulf Capital-acquired since 2018; founder Abdullah Al Othman) since 2008.
- **75% SA payment-acceptance market share + 700K+ POS terminals + 150K+ merchants + 5M+ daily tx**.
- **2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix POS partner + Apr 2026 Planet currency conversion**.
- **Gulf Capital majority owner** (SAR 1B 2018 acquisition).
- **SAMA Payment Service Provider licensed**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.geidea.net/ksa/en "Geidea — official"
[2]: https://www.weareplanet.com/news/planet-and-geidea "Planet + Geidea Apr 2026 currency conversion — Planet"
[3]: https://www.entrepreneur.com/en-ae/finance/geidea-driving-saudi-arabias-cashless-revolution-in/488804 "Geidea driving SA cashless revolution + 2018 Gulf Capital — Entrepreneur"
[4]: https://lucidityinsights.com/spotlights/geidea-cashless-revolution-saudi-vision-2030 "Geidea SA cashless Saudi Vision 2030 — Lucidity Insights"
[sa-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SA

- [1] [Geidea — official][1]
- [2] [Planet + Geidea Apr 2026 — Planet][2]
- [3] [Geidea SA cashless revolution — Entrepreneur][3]
- [4] [Geidea SA cashless Vision 2030 — Lucidity Insights][4]
- <sup>[Saudi Arabia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SA)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/SA-saudi-arabia.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [geidea.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/geidea). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.