SKU-P10Saudi Arabia4 weeksNew
SAMA payment initiation readiness sprint
Get your bank ready for open banking payment initiation the way SAMA expects, with a go-live date and a budget.
The outcome you can measure
Three numbers at the end of week 4
01 · A dateYour PIS go-live dateWith API, consent and testing milestones.
02 · A gap countGaps to SAMA’s PIS standardsAcross APIs, consent, authentication and customer experience, by severity.
03 · A money figureA build budgetPlus an estimate of fraud and liability exposure.
Why now
- Sep 2024SAMA’s second open banking release set the standards for payment initiation services.
- Sep 2026At its Open Banking Forum, SAMA named banks’ readiness for payment initiation as the next priority.
- 32 firmsSAMA counted 32 licensed payment companies by May 2026, and fintechs are building on bank APIs.
- TestingSAMA’s Open Banking Lab is where implementations are tested and certified. Plan for it early.
Sources: SAMA (September 2024, May 2026, September 2026); Fiskil open finance tracker.
Who it’s for
A good fit
- Heads of payments and open banking at Saudi banks
- Digital channel and API platform teams
- Fraud and legal teams setting liability rules
Not the right start
- Fintechs seeking a SAMA licence: this sprint is the bank side
- Banks past compliance, looking for revenue: see the open finance revenue plan
What you get, and how it runs
- Gap assessment against SAMA’s PIS standards
- Consent, authentication, fraud and liability model
- Target architecture for PIS on your existing payment estate
- Test and certification plan
- A costed roadmap and board pack
- Week 1Baseline of APIs, consent flows and channels
- Week 2Gap assessment against the standards
- Week 3Consent, fraud and liability model; target architecture
- Week 4Roadmap, budget and the board pack
What I need from you
- Your open banking lead as sponsor
- API platform and digital channel teams
- Fraud and legal, two sessions each
Where it leads
The open finance revenue plan, so PIS earns its keep, or a fractional architect through testing and certification.
How we’d work
Fixed feeConfirmed after a 30-minute scoping call.
In Riyadh when it countsRemote-first from Dubai; the statement of work names the weeks I’m on site with your team.
IndependentI don’t resell software or API platforms. fazeZERO, which I contract through, won’t bid on build work from my advice without your written consent.
Numbers agreed up frontThe date, gap count and money figure are written into the statement of work.
Next step
Tell me where your bank is with payment initiation.
A 30-minute call is enough to confirm the fit, the fee and a start date.