The Saudi Payments Network or mada (formerly SPAN) is the only and major payment system in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It connects all ATM and point of sale (POS) terminals throughout the country to a central payment switch which in turn re-routes the financial transactions to the card issuer (local bank, Visa, American Express or MasterCard). All banks in Saudi Arabia are required by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) to issue ATM cards fully compatible with the network. All services are provided to the customer free of charge, regardless of the ATM used, its operator, or the customer's card issuer.