MUSCAT — Dhofar Islamic, the Islamic banking arm of BankDhofar, in partnership with the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), has soft launched a nationwide campaign to support the rollout of ‘Maal’, Oman’s first exclusive national payment card. The initiative marks a major milestone in the Sultanate’s digital transformation journey and reflects the national vision to establish a secure, efficient, and self-reliant domestic payments infrastructure.
Spearheaded by the CBO, the Maal card will be issued by local banks and integrated with the OmanNet payment gateway. It will enable seamless transactions across ATMs, cash deposit machines, point-of-sale terminals, e-commerce platforms, and digital government services, forming the backbone of Oman’s domestic electronic payments ecosystem.
Iman Musallam Al Amri, Acting AGM Wealth Management, Cards and Bancassurance at BankDhofar, said the launch of Maal represents a defining moment for Oman’s payments landscape. She noted that the card offers customers a secure and cost-effective way to transact locally while strengthening national self-reliance in digital payments and extending modern banking convenience to communities across the Sultanate.
By creating a unified, locally managed payments channel, Maal reduces dependence on international card networks for domestic transactions. This is expected to lower transaction costs for banks, merchants, and consumers while improving financial inclusion, particularly in remote and underserved areas.
Developed under the supervision of the Central Bank of Oman, the Maal card incorporates advanced security features, data localization, and compliance with international best practices. Customers will benefit from safer transactions, faster processing, and potentially lower fees.
The soft launch aligns closely with Oman Vision 2040 and the country’s shift toward a cashless society. Beyond payments efficiency, the initiative is designed to strengthen national financial resilience, support fintech innovation, and advance economic diversification and digital economy goals.
As part of the rollout, Dhofar Islamic has initiated a nationwide awareness campaign across its ATMs, CDMs, and POS terminals using CBO-approved branding and messaging. Customers of Dhofar Islamic are expected to gain access to the Maal card for daily transactions in the coming phase.
With the introduction of Maal, Oman takes a strategic step toward building a secure, inclusive, and independent national payments infrastructure that places innovation, accessibility, and customer trust at the center of its financial ecosystem.
