Nasser Bdeir appointed as Visa's new Country Manager for Oman
Oman, Muscat,: Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, has announced the appointment of Nasser Bdeir as Country Manager for Oman, effective May 25. He is based out of Visa's Riyadh office, the company's regional headquarters for Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain. Nasser succeeds Manish Gautam, who was in the role since 2019 and has now transitioned to Visa's regional HQ in Riyadh to manage Visa Commercial Solutions one of Visa's strategically important business across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman.
With Visa since 2013, Nasser assumes his new role after leading key markets and functions in the GCC – including Head of Financial Institutions and managing leading banks, driving growth and innovation for merchants and fintechs, and market development. Before Visa, Nasser spent 5 years with Banque Saudi Fransi.
Nasser Bdeir, Visa's Country Manager for Oman, said: 'I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead our operations in an exciting market such as Oman. I am looking forward to working closely with our clients to introduce new payment innovations that benefit Omani consumers and businesses. We are deeply committed to supporting the Oman government's cashless agenda and creating an inclusive, resilient digital economy where everyone, everywhere in Oman can participate and be empowered by the benefits digital commerce offers.'
Ali Bailoun, Visa's Regional General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain, said: 'We are excited about Nasser's appointment as Visa's Oman Country Manager. He brings proven leadership skills as well as a strong understanding of Visa's business in Oman and deep experience from the wider region. I am confident Nasser will further deepen our local partnerships to deliver more value for our clients and partners, and make significant contributions to the Oman government's digital commerce agenda.'
The Oman government has established a progressive regulatory framework to enable the growth of the Sultanate's digital economy. Despite progress with the economy's digital transformation, around 25% of Oman consumer transactions are still in cash, according to Visa's recent Where Cash Hides research. For Visa, this represents an opportunity for the Oman payments industry to further drive financial inclusion and digitize commerce in the Sultanate. As the payment landscape continues to evolve and diversify, Visa is committed to the government's cashless agenda by continuing to support its partner banks and new entrants with its payment innovations as well as its global network of 4.6 billion cardholders and more than 150 million merchant partners.
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