Central Bank of Oman Launches National Payment Card “Maal”

The Central Bank of Oman has soft-launched its national payment card Maal, introducing a domestic alternative to international card schemes that offers reduced acceptance costs for merchants across the Sultanate.

The Maal card, which operates on Oman's domestic payment network, processes transactions locally without routing through international card networks for domestic purchases. This approach reduces the interchange and processing fees that merchants currently pay on domestically used international cards.

The soft launch allows the CBO and participating banks to test the card's technical performance, merchant acceptance, and customer experience before a broader national rollout. Sohar International is among the first banks to issue Maal cards, with additional banks expected to join progressively.

The Maal scheme is part of the CBO's broader strategy to build self-sufficient national payment infrastructure that reduces reliance on international networks for domestic transaction processing. The initiative aligns with similar domestic card schemes launched across the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia's mada, the UAE's Jaywan, and Qatar's Himyan.

For the Omani financial sector, the Maal card represents a step toward greater payment sovereignty, where domestic transaction data is processed and stored within national infrastructure. This capability supports both regulatory oversight and data protection objectives.

The CBO said the Maal card is designed to coexist with international card networks, with co-badging options available for cards that need both domestic and international acceptance.