{"id":6494,"date":"2025-11-20T08:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T04:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/news\/business\/oman-launches-national-payment-card-2\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T12:52:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T08:52:31","slug":"oman-launches-national-payment-card-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/news\/business\/oman-launches-national-payment-card-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Oman&#8217;s New National Payment Card: What It Means for Investors and Businesses in the Digital Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\r\n@keyframes hitv3sog-fadein{from{opacity:0;transform:translateY(14px)}to{opacity:1;transform:translateY(0)}}\r\n@keyframes hitv3sog-slideup{from{opacity:0;transform:translateY(20px)}to{opacity:1;transform:translateY(0)}}\r\n@keyframes hitv3sog-pulse{0%,100%{box-shadow:0 0 14px #dc262688}50%{box-shadow:0 0 32px #dc2626,0 0 60px #dc262655}}\r\n@keyframes 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style=\"display:inline-block;width:5px;height:5px;border-radius:50%;background:#dc2626;flex-shrink:0;margin-right:7px;\"><\/span><span>Responsive designs built for growth<\/span><\/div><div class=\"hitv3sogbi\"><span style=\"display:inline-block;width:5px;height:5px;border-radius:50%;background:#dc2626;flex-shrink:0;margin-right:7px;\"><\/span><span>Fast loading with smart automation<\/span><\/div><\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <div class=\"hitv3sogct\">\r\n    <button class=\"hitv3sogbtn\" style=\"animation:hitv3sog-pulse 2.5s ease-in-out infinite;animation-delay:1s;\">Build Your Free Website <span style=\"opacity:.9;\">\u2192<\/span><\/button>\r\n    <div class=\"hitv3sogbr\">hit.land<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Muscat<\/strong>: On Thursday, the Sultanate of Oman officially launched the <strong>Maal<\/strong> national payment card, timed with the celebration of Oman&#8217;s National Day.<\/p>\n<p>This initiative aims to enhance the national payments framework by lowering costs for banks, merchants, and payment service providers (PSPs), while promoting digital payment adoption across various economic sectors. <\/p>\n<p>The established framework includes a complete waiver of card issuance and reissuance fees by banks and PSPs, along with the elimination of annual fees for cardholders. Consequently, the Maal consumer debit and prepaid cards will be available to customers at no cost. However, ATM cash withdrawal fees and associated charges will continue to follow the existing regulations set by the Central Bank of Oman (CBO).<\/p>\n<p>During the initial phase, banks and PSPs will not incur fees for utilizing the OmanNet infrastructure for issuing and processing Maal card transactions. This aligns with the broader objective of minimizing payment costs throughout the ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>Key banks, including <strong>Bank Muscat<\/strong>, <strong>Sohar International<\/strong>, <strong>Oman Arab Bank (OAB)<\/strong>, and <strong>Bank Dhofar<\/strong>, will issue Maal-branded cards.<\/p>\n<p>Ali Al Jabri, Vice President of Payment Systems Technology at the Central Bank of Oman, stated, \u201cThe Maal card will be free for consumers, with no issuance or renewal fees, and will offer competitive, reduced fees for merchants and government entities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Experts note that current cards issued by local banks utilize global network technologies, which will help lower costs for consumers. The offerings will include debit cards, payment cards, prepaid cards, and credit cards.<\/p>\n<p>Countries such as Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have already introduced their own national payment cards. For instance, Qatar&#8217;s <strong>Himyan<\/strong> card is powered by the Qatar Central Bank and aims to improve and modernize digital payment systems. It offers diverse options for bank customers in Qatar, aligning with the rising demand for financial technology services while bolstering the national brand.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the UAE&#8217;s <strong>Jaywan<\/strong> card presents a local alternative to internationally issued debit and prepaid cards. It allows users to manage their daily finances securely, enabling direct cash withdrawals and purchases from bank accounts.<\/p>\n<p>In Saudi Arabia, the <strong>Mada<\/strong> card serves as the national debit card, widely used for transactions, particularly online, reflecting its popularity within the Saudi market. <\/p>\n<p>The launch of the Maal card represents a significant step forward in Oman&#8217;s efforts to modernize its payment systems and enhance the ease of digital transactions for its citizens.<\/p>\n<p><style>\r\n@keyframes hitl8gak-fadein{from{opacity:0;transform:translateY(14px)}to{opacity:1;transform:translateY(0)}}\r\n@keyframes hitl8gak-slideup{from{opacity:0;transform:translateY(20px)}to{opacity:1;transform:translateY(0)}}\r\n@keyframes hitl8gak-pulse{0%,100%{box-shadow:0 0 14px #dc262688}50%{box-shadow:0 0 32px #dc2626,0 0 60px #dc262655}}\r\n@keyframes hitl8gak-shimmer{0%,100%{opacity:0.3;transform:scaleX(0.4)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scaleX(1)}}\r\n@keyframes 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solid rgba(255,255,255,0.18);backdrop-filter:blur(8px);-webkit-backdrop-filter:blur(8px);border-radius:20px;padding:3px 10px 3px 7px;margin-bottom:clamp(5px,0.6vw,9px);animation:hitl8gak-badge 0.5s ease both;\"><span style=\"display:inline-block;width:6px;height:6px;border-radius:50%;background:#dc2626;flex-shrink:0;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size:clamp(8px,0.9vw,10px);font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.07em;color:rgba(255,255,255,0.88);text-transform:uppercase;white-space:nowrap;\">EXCLUSIVE OFFER<\/span><\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"hitl8gakh\" style=\"animation:hitl8gak-slideup 0.7s ease both;animation-delay:0.15s;\">Your Website <span style=\"color:#dc2626;\">Should Sell.<\/span><\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"hitl8gaks\" style=\"animation:hitl8gak-slideup 0.7s ease both;animation-delay:0.3s;\">Custom-built websites with smart automation & AI-powered features.<\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"hitl8gakbl\"><div class=\"hitl8gakbi\"><span style=\"display:inline-block;width:5px;height:5px;border-radius:50%;background:#dc2626;flex-shrink:0;margin-right:7px;\"><\/span><span>SEO-optimized & lightning fast<\/span><\/div><div class=\"hitl8gakbi\"><span style=\"display:inline-block;width:5px;height:5px;border-radius:50%;background:#dc2626;flex-shrink:0;margin-right:7px;\"><\/span><span>Smart features built for your business<\/span><\/div><\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <div class=\"hitl8gakct\">\r\n    <button class=\"hitl8gakbtn\" style=\"animation:hitl8gak-pulse 2.5s ease-in-out infinite;animation-delay:1s;\">Get Free Consultation <span style=\"opacity:.9;\">\u2192<\/span><\/button>\r\n    <div class=\"hitl8gakbr\">hit.land<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Special Analysis by Omanet | Navigate Oman&#8217;s Market<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The launch of the <strong>Maal payment card<\/strong> represents a strategic shift towards <strong>enhancing Oman&#8217;s digital payment ecosystem<\/strong>, creating an opportunity for businesses to reduce transaction costs and improve cash flow. While this presents a <strong>lower barrier for entry<\/strong> into digital finance for consumers and merchants, it also poses a risk for existing providers as they adapt to competitive pricing structures. <strong>Smart investors<\/strong> should leverage this momentum to explore partnerships with fintech firms, thus positioning themselves advantageously within the evolving landscape of Oman&#8217;s economy.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Muscat: Oman has pilot-launched the national payment card, Maal, enhancing its digital payment framework. This initiative aims to reduce costs for banks and merchants while promoting digital transactions. Maal cards will have no issuance fees, benefiting consumers and aligning with similar cards in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114],"tags":[2848,161,2847],"class_list":["post-6494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-digital_cards","tag-oman","tag-payment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3197827.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6494"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6496,"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6494\/revisions\/6496"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omanet.om\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}