2 days ago
Bank credit in Oman grows 9% to RO33.6bn in April
Muscat – Oman's banking sector recorded robust credit growth of 9.0% during the first four months of 2025, while deposits surged by over 9.3% year-on-year, according to the latest data from the Central Bank of Oman (CBO).
Total outstanding credit extended by the banking sector – comprising both conventional and Islamic banks – rose by nine per cent to RO33.6bn as of the end of April 2025, compared to the same period in the previous year, the CBO stated in its monthly statistical bulletin.
Of the total credit extended, loans to the private sector grew by 7.0%, reaching RO27.8bn. Non-financial corporations received the largest share of private sector credit, accounting for approximately 46.6% of the total, followed by the household sector at 44.0%. Financial corporations held a 5.6% share, while other sectors made up the remaining 3.7%.
In the conventional banking segment, total credit grew by 7.9% year-on-year as of April 2025. Credit extended to the private sector by conventional banks increased by 5.2% to RO21.3bn, while their investments in securities rose by 2.1% to RO5.8bn, according to CBO figures.
Investments in government development bonds by conventional banks rose by 6.2% year-on-year to RO2bn in April 2025, while investments in foreign securities increased by 3.7% to RO2.1bn over the same period.
Deposits surge 9.3%
Deposits across Oman's banking sector grew significantly by 9.3%, reaching RO32.8bn at the end of April 2025.
Private sector deposits increased by 7.1% to RO21.5bn. Within this category, household deposits contributed the largest share, accounting for 50.3% of the total, followed by non-financial corporations at 30.4%, financial corporations at 17.0%, and other sectors at 2.3%.
Conventional banks saw aggregate deposits rise by 6.1% year-on-year to RO25.7bn by the end of April 2025. Government deposits with conventional banks increased by 6.2% to RO5.8bn, while deposits from public enterprises grew by 11.4% to RO2.2bn. Private sector deposits, which represent 65.2% of total deposits at conventional banks, rose by 4.5% to reach RO16.8bn.
According to the CBO, the weighted average interest rate on Omani rial deposits with conventional banks rose slightly from 2.580% in April 2024 to 2.594% at the end of April 2025. Meanwhile, the weighted average lending rate for the Omani rial decreased from 5.604% to 5.555% over the same period.
The overnight Omani rial domestic interbank lending rate declined to 4.392% in April 2025, down from 5.212% a year earlier. This decrease is attributed to the reduction in the average repo rate for liquidity injections by the CBO, which fell to 5.0% from 6.0%, in line with the monetary policy direction of the US Federal Reserve.
Islamic banking grows by 18%
Oman's Islamic banking sector continues to maintain its strong growth trajectory in 2025, with double-digit increases in both credit and deposits.
The total assets of Islamic banks and windows grew by 18.1% year-on-year, reaching RO8.9bn by the end of April 2025. Islamic assets now represent approximately 19.6% of the total assets within Oman's banking system.
Islamic banking entities provided financing totalling RO7.2bn by the end of April this year, reflecting a 13.5% increase compared to the previous year. Total deposits held by Islamic banks and windows also surged by 22.6%, reaching RO7.1bn in April 2025.
