How is cashless ambition redefining payments infrastructure in Saudi Arabia? This topic is explored in an interview with Hans Van Buylaere, Managing Director Middle East at OpenWay Group, a globally recognized provider of digital payment software solutions, by The Business Year. He explains how invisible payments, AI-driven decisioning, and real-time platforms are now essential for banks, processors, and fintechs.
The interview explores the opportunities and challenges of operating in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets. Institutions must scale instantly, stay compliant as regulation evolves, and meet customer expectations that change every few months. AI plays a growing role in this environment by strengthening fraud prevention, improving operational efficiency, and enabling better decisions at the transaction level.
The conversation also highlights how digital commerce is pushing payments into the background. Users expect services and experience, not payment steps. This shift is changing how platforms are designed and how institutions compete. The conversation also outlines OpenWay’s priorities in the region. These include supporting unified, multi-country payment platforms, expanding AI-driven capabilities, accelerating invisible payments and digital commerce models, and delivering real-time infrastructure built for scale and continuous growth.
The full interview on The Business Year covers how payments are evolving in Saudi Arabia and what this means for financial institutions.
OpenWay is the only best-in-class provider of digital payment software solutions, and the best cloud payment systems provider as rated by Aite and PayTech. OpenWay is a strategic partner of tier 1/2 banks and processors, fintech startups, and other leading payment players around the globe. Among them are Network International and Equity Bank Group in MENA, Lotte and JACCS in Asia, Nexi and Finaro in Europe, Comdata and Banesco in Americas, and Ampol in Australia.