Visa has created a new dedicated regional cluster encompassing Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, as part of a strategic restructuring within its Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa operations. The move is designed to accelerate digital payment adoption while aligning more closely with national digital transformation agendas across the three markets.
As part of the realignment, Visa has appointed Ali Bailoun as Group Country Manager for the new region. Based in Riyadh, Bailoun will oversee Visa’s operations across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, bringing more than two decades of experience in banking and payments to the role. The new structure aims to strengthen engagement with financial institutions, fintech companies, merchants, and government stakeholders.
Visa said the organisational change builds on its 40-year presence in the region and reflects its strategy to operate with greater agility and closer client proximity. Tareq Muhmood, Regional President for CEMEA at Visa, described the move as a key evolution that enables faster innovation and value creation in some of the region’s most dynamic digital payments markets.
The announcement follows continued investment by Visa in regional infrastructure, including the launch of a new office and Innovation Center in Riyadh and the hosting of the Visa Acceptance Platform on a local cloud in Saudi Arabia to support e-commerce growth.
Supporting national cashless ambitions is a central driver of the restructuring. Bailoun highlighted Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 target of reaching 80 per cent cashless transactions, noting that the Kingdom has already achieved 79 per cent, underscoring the pace of digital payments transformation underway across the region.
