OAB Celebrates Its Achievements and Strengthens Competitiveness by Offering the Best Services

Sulaiman Al Harthi: The Efficiency of Our Team is the Cornerstone of Success and Enhancing Customer Experiences

 

Muscat, 12 March 2025:

Oman Arab Bank (OAB) held its annual meeting, a yearly tradition celebrating the successes achieved through the innovative contributions of its team and employees. The event also served as a platform to prepare for a new year filled with achievements and to sustain the exceptional performance the bank has attained through continuous advancements in digital products, solutions, and customer service.

The celebration featured a variety of activities, including visual presentations highlighting the bank’s 2024 achievements, the “Takaful” Employee Support Fund, and the “Idikhar” program, which ensures employees’ financial well-being. The event also included an inspirational session, entertainment segments, competitions, and prize draws that brought joy to the attendees.

During the event, winners of the annual Excellence Employee Performance Awards and Long-Service Awards were honored.

Recognizing creativity and passion as key drivers of success within senior management—and as an incentive to overcome challenges—Mr. Rashad Al Zubair, Chairman of OAB, announced the launch of the Chairman’s Excellence Award. The award features six main categories: Customer Experience Excellence, Innovation Excellence for Creative Minds, Efficiency Excellence, Risk Management Excellence, Goal Achievement Excellence, and Growth Mindset Excellence.

In his speech during the event, Sulaiman Al Harthi, CEO of OAB, stated:

*”Through our hard work and commitment to our vision at OAB, we continue to overcome challenges and strengthen our leadership in the Omani banking sector. We firmly believe that the efficiency of our employees, our teamwork, and our shared dedication are the foundations for achieving greater success, enhancing performance, and delivering enriching experiences to our customers.

Today, we celebrate one of our most significant achievements, our fruitful collaboration in realizing strategic goals and driving long-term growth. We are making steady progress toward a promising future by investing in our human capital, developing their professional and personal capabilities, and fostering a culture of achievement.

In 2024, we accelerated this progress by expanding training resources to develop the skills and competencies of our employees. Our “Ruwad Al Arabi” leadership development program continues to gain both local and international recognition as one of the most successful human capital investment initiatives. The program targets 330 employees from the bank and its strategic partners.

Additionally, in 2024, we organized 374 training programs attended by over 10,000 employees, delivering nearly 25,000 training hours. OAB also remains committed to enhancing workplace appeal and providing the best possible services to its employees.”

Al Harthi added: “Our annual gathering is an opportunity to celebrate our achievements and strengthen the partnership among team members across various departments and levels. It serves as a platform to exchange creative ideas that will drive the bank’s success in the next phase.

Our ability to innovate competitive products, excel in operational processes and services, advance digital transformation, expand digital channels, enhance brand impact, and effectively manage and develop talent will be key to our continued growth.”

OAB is moving toward the future, strengthened by several key factors that reinforce its leadership in driving the evolution of the banking sector in Oman. These include its long-standing banking legacy, extensive accumulated expertise, exceptional ability to innovate and enhance the added value of its services, as well as its active contribution to national economic growth and a global presence spanning 28 countries.

OAB Hosts Workshop for Brokerage Firms on Payment and Investor Account Management

Muscat, 5 March 2025:

Oman Arab Bank (OAB) organized an exclusive workshop for brokerage firms on its digital virtual system for managing payments and investor accounts at the Muscat Stock Exchange. Recently launched as part of OAB’s suite of advanced financial services for businesses, this initiative reflects the bank’s continued investment in enhancing its digital services and staying at the forefront of global financial technology advancements.

The workshop aimed to enhance brokerage firms’ understanding of this advanced technology, which improves transaction efficiency, simplifies fund management, and ensures regulatory compliance with secure and transparent financial practices.

Held in the presence of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the event attracted broad participation from leading brokerage firms across the Sultanate of Oman. The event aligned with the Authority’s initiative to introduce electronic trading.

During the workshop, OAB’s team delivered a comprehensive presentation on the technology’s key features, highlighting its role in automating fund management, enhancing security, and improving operational efficiency. The system streamlines settlement processes, minimizes human intervention, and enables real-time tracking of client funds through dedicated virtual accounts while ensuring financial integrity and transparency through transaction monitoring.

The workshop also featured insightful discussions on the importance of adopting digital innovations in financial services.

Sulaiman Al-Hinai, Chief Wholesale Banking Officer at OAB, stated:
“By organizing this exclusive workshop, OAB reaffirms its commitment to supporting the development of the financial sector and sharing its expertise with brokerage firms. Our advanced financial solutions are among the most sophisticated globally and align with the evolving regulatory requirements of the Omani financial sector.”

He explained that the workshop was designed to provide financial brokers with a comprehensive understanding of OAB’s virtual solution for fund management, account settlement automation, and seamless transaction execution through direct integration between client systems and the bank’s payment system.

He added that this technology represents a major advancement in saving time, effort, and operational costs in banking and financial transactions. It adopts the latest global, simplified, and highly efficient communication system for transmitting financial messages and transactions securely and seamlessly between clients and the bank. This innovation marks a significant leap in OAB’s business services, strengthening its support for private and public sector companies in achieving growth, success, and optimal operational efficiency.

The organization of this workshop aligns with the directives issued by the FSA and reflects the bank’s leadership in advancing the banking sector. It also supports the objectives of Oman’s Sustainability Program, which aims to develop the banking and financial sector, enhance the capital market, and strengthen their role in sustainable economic development.

20% Instant Discounts on Groceries at “Lulu Hypermarket”
Oman Arab Bank Launches the “#Ramadan_Goodness” Promotion for Visa Credit Card Holders

Muscat, 26 February 2025:
In celebration of the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan and its ongoing commitment to providing innovative offers that enhance customer experiences during this holy month, Oman Arab Bank has launched the exclusive “#Ramadan_Goodness” promotion for Visa credit cardholders, in collaboration with Lulu Hypermarket chain. This offer will be available on weekends (Friday and Saturday) from 21 February to 15 March 2025. During this period, bank customers holding Visa credit cards will enjoy an instant discount of 20% on food products, with a maximum discount of 5 Omani Riyals per transaction.

This new promotional offer provides a unique opportunity for the bank’s Visa credit cardholders to enjoy a discount on their Ramadan shopping needs, either at Lulu Hypermarket branches or through online shopping, making the shopping experience more convenient and affordable.

Commenting on the #Ramadan_Goodness campaign, Mr. Jumaa Al-Faliti, Deputy Head of Retail Banking, stated: “This offer has been crafted to provide tangible added value for our esteemed customers, in celebration of the forthcoming holy month of Ramadan. May Allah bestow goodness and blessings upon all. As food and fresh produce purchases rise during this season, we aimed to gift our customers up to 20% off their purchases at the renowned Lulu stores as a token of appreciation from the bank to all our valued customers.”

Oman Arab Bank continuously strives to meet its customers’ needs by offering exclusive promotions and multiple benefits during the holy month. These benefits ease financial burdens and reflect the bank’s ongoing commitment to supporting the local community by providing ideal opportunities to contribute to the welfare of Omani families.

Oman Arab Bank was one of the first banks to start operations in the Sultanate and boasts a long history of achievements that everyone is proud of. Today, the bank operates 54 branches, representative offices and 160 ATMs across the Sultanate. The bank also offers a wide range of banking products and services through its advanced mobile app, which allows customers to open new accounts and access many other services directly from their mobile phones.

In a New Step to Enhance Its Commercial Services

Oman Arab Bank Launches a New Suite of Digital Commercial Banking Services

Muscat, February 10, 2025:

As part of its ongoing efforts to lead the banking sector, Oman Arab Bank (OAB) unveiled a new suite of banking e-services for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), corporate clients and government entities on Sunday, February 9. The launch took place at a special event hosted by the bank under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Said bin Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Saqri, Minister of Economy, with the presence of more than 800 bank clients and high-profile guests.

The newly introduced digital commercial banking solutions from OAB provide businesses with seamless, real-time access to their financial transactions, enabling them to process payments, authorise transactions and manage payroll efficiently. The new e-services include:

1. Mobile Commercial Banking Application:
   • This will allow the bank’s valued customers to manage their banking accounts and conduct business transactions such as payments, payroll and transaction approvals at any time and from any location.
2. Host-to-Host Payment Solutions:
   • A direct connection system linking the clients’ systems with the bank’s payment system, incorporating the latest developments in this field, significantly saving time and effort while reducing banking transaction costs.
3. Global “SWIFTNet” System:
   • A global system that offers simplified connectivity for securely, quickly and efficiently transferring messages and financial transactions from the client to the bank.

By leveraging these advanced technologies, OAB empowers businesses with greater financial control, operational efficiency and a future-ready digital banking experience.

Speaking about the bank’s vision for innovation in banking solutions, Sulaiman Hamed Al Harthi, CEO of Oman Arab Bank, stated, “In light of the rapid technological developments in banking, Oman Arab Bank continues its diligent efforts to adopt and localise the latest technologies, exploring the best digital solutions and utilising them. Its focus is serving the nation and supporting its development journey, setting an example of excellence and leadership in the banking sector. From this perspective, we have been eager to provide innovative banking services that cater to the needs of various sectors, beginning with micro-enterprises and progressing to small and medium-sized enterprises, which form the backbone of the national economy and are an essential part of the vital resources in advancing this generous nation and extending to large companies and public and private institutions that play a role in driving development.”

Meanwhile, Sulaiman Ali Al Hinai, Chief Wholesale Banking Officer, commented, “These solutions have been meticulously designed following comprehensive studies to offer you the highest levels of security, flexibility and ease in managing your businesses, thereby enhancing your capacity to grow and evolve in a world facing shifts in needs and accelerating challenges. The launch of these solutions reaffirms our continued leadership in digital commercial banking services, where we do not merely keep pace with trends but consistently strive to be at the forefront of innovation, elevating the standards in delivering this type of service and becoming the model to emulate and the reference point to acknowledge.”

OAB is recognised for its strong commitment to leading the banking sector through ongoing investment in cutting-edge technology and efforts to meet and exceed customer expectations.