Riyad Bank launches Jeel Sandbox to accelerate fintech development in Saudi Arabia

Riyad Bank, with a market capitalisation of US$21.10 billion as of September 2025, has partnered with Fintech Saudi to introduce the Jeel Sandbox, a technical platform designed to support the development and licensing of fintech solutions within the Kingdom. 

The initiative, powered by Riyad Bank's subsidiary Jeel, provides a secure, locally hosted environment for innovators, startups, and financial institutions to experiment with APIs and novel financial products. This setup allows testing without disrupting live banking systems, using mock data to speed up prototyping from initial concepts to market-ready offerings. 

The platform forms part of broader efforts to bolster Saudi Arabia's digital economy, aligning with Vision 2030 goals to foster a vibrant fintech ecosystem valued at US$2.85 billion in 2025. By integrating regulatory guidance from Fintech Saudi, the Saudi Central Bank, and the Capital Market Authority, it streamlines compliance and encourages collaboration between banks and emerging developers. 

This move addresses longstanding challenges in fintech scaling, where regulatory uncertainty often delays launches, particularly in a sector that has attracted over US$1.01 billion in funding year-to-date. 

Mazen Pharaon, Vice Chairman of Jeel, described the development as a pivotal step, stating: 

“This launch represents a major milestone not only for Jeel but for the entire fintech community in Saudi Arabia. Jeel Sandbox is a catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and growth — building bridges between financial institutions, startups, and innovators who are shaping the future of finance.” 

George Harrak, CEO of Jeel, highlighted practical benefits, saying: 

“The launch of Jeel Sandbox brings tangible advantages to innovators across the Kingdom: lowering barriers to entry for startups with ready-to-use testing infrastructure, accelerating innovation cycles to reduce time from concept to market, providing a compliance-first environment that gives entrepreneurs confidence to experiment without risk, and enabling collaboration between fintechs and banks across the ecosystem.” 

The sandbox emerges amid growing investment in Saudi fintech, exemplified by Bwatech's recent US$16 million funding round to expand corporate payment solutions. Such platforms could prove instrumental in positioning the Kingdom as a regional hub for digital finance, leveraging the scale of institutions like Riyad Bank. Jeel, established as Riyad Bank's dedicated arm for digital innovation, continues to drive initiatives that embed advanced technologies into everyday banking.