The Saudi Central Bank and Qatar Central Bank announced that acceptance of Saudi Arabia’s mada payment cards in Qatar and Qatar’s HIMYAN cards in Saudi Arabia will be rolled out gradually. The initiative expands the use of national payment cards across the two countries and supports wider Gulf Cooperation Council payment integration. The cards will operate through the Gulf Payment Network, which enables Gulf Cooperation Council citizens and residents to withdraw cash from ATMs and make payments at point-of-sale terminals using the region’s network debit cards. The network is intended to make cross-border payments easier and less costly while improving payment services across the region.