Saudi Arabia Quietly Walked Away From China's mBridge, and the Numbers Show Why It Still Matters

SAMA confirms to the Financial Times it exited the digital-currency platform in May 2025, even as Beijing keeps signing up new members

Saudi Arabia's central bank has confirmed it is no longer part of mBridge, the China-led cross-border digital currency platform that Beijing has spent five years building as an alternative plumbing for trade settlement outside the dollar and SWIFT. The Saudi Central Bank, known as SAMA, told the Financial Times it completed its mBridge proof-of-concept on 13 May 2025 and, in its own words, is "no longer a participating member." The exit removes the platform's only Gulf oil producer at the exact moment mBridge is publicly expanding, having added Mongolia as a f…