Oman Arab Bank
An Omani commercial bank serving retail, corporate, project-finance, investment-banking, trade-finance, and Islamic-banking customers.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Oman Arab Bank is a commercial bank headquartered in Muscat, Oman. According to the referenced Wikipedia article, it was established in 1984 and operates across several principal banking activities, including retail banking, corporate banking, project finance, investment banking, trade finance, and Islamic banking. Its business therefore spans both everyday financial services for individuals and more specialized services for companies, institutions, and projects. The bank has a shareholder structure linked to Arab Bank plc and Omani investment interests. Arab Bank plc holds 49%, while Oman International Development and Investment Company SAOG holds 31.63%; the remaining 19.37% is held by other individual and corporate shareholders. This structure gives Oman Arab Bank a connection to a regional banking group while retaining substantial Omani ownership participation. A significant strategic phase began in 2014, when the bank introduced a digital-transformation strategy. The initiative was described as covering improvements to banking channels and services, the use of advanced technology, the development of an innovation culture, talent management, and partnerships intended to add value for customers. The strategy reflects the bank's effort to modernize how it delivers financial services rather than relying solely on traditional branch-based banking. Islamic banking became an important part of the institution's development. In June 2020, Oman Arab Bank acquired 100% of Alizz Islamic Bank. It subsequently combined its Al Yusr Islamic Banking window with Alizz Islamic Bank, consolidating its Islamic-banking operations within the acquired institution. This transaction expanded the bank's ability to provide Sharia-compliant financial services through a dedicated Islamic-banking platform. Another major corporate change took place on July 6, 2020, when Oman Arab Bank changed from a closed joint-stock company into a public joint-stock company. Its shares were listed on the Muscat Securities Market, now generally referred to as the Muscat Stock Exchange. The listing placed the bank within Oman's publicly traded financial sector and marked a significant change in its corporate and capital-market status. Oman Arab Bank's documented positioning is that of a broad-based Omani banking institution rather than a narrowly specialized financial-services provider. Its portfolio combines consumer banking, business banking, financing, investment-related services, trade support, and Islamic finance. Publicly available reference material does not provide enough detail to state the bank's current branch count, employee total, assets, revenue, executive team, or geographic operations outside Oman without risking unsupported claims.
History
Oman Arab Bank was established in Oman in 1984. The bank developed as a commercial banking institution with activities extending beyond basic deposit-taking and lending. Its documented operating areas include retail banking, corporate banking, project finance, investment banking, trade finance, and Islamic banking. This combination places the institution across consumer, business, capital-project, commercial-trade, and Sharia-compliant financial services. The bank's ownership structure includes Arab Bank plc, which holds 49%, Oman International Development and Investment Company SAOG, which holds 31.63%, and other individual and corporate shareholders, who collectively hold the remaining 19.37%. The structure connects Oman Arab Bank to Arab Bank while also reflecting participation by Omani investment interests and other shareholders. A management change recorded in the bank's history occurred in 2013, when chief executive officer Abdul Qader Ahmed Askalan resigned. The following year, Oman Arab Bank launched a digital-transformation strategy. The program was intended to improve the bank's channels and services through modern technology, promote innovation, strengthen talent management, and create additional customer value through strategic partnerships. The initiative represented a shift toward technology-enabled service delivery and organizational modernization. Islamic banking became a particularly important area in 2020. In June of that year, Oman Arab Bank acquired 100% of Alizz Islamic Bank. The bank also merged its Al Yusr Islamic Banking window with Alizz Islamic Bank. These steps consolidated its Islamic-banking activities within the Alizz platform and expanded the institutional basis for providing Sharia-compliant financial products. On July 6, 2020, Oman Arab Bank was converted from a closed joint-stock company into a public joint-stock company. Its shares were listed on the Muscat Securities Market. The conversion and listing represented a major corporate milestone, changing the bank's legal and capital-market status and placing its shares within Oman's public securities market. The available reference material does not document a complete account of later operations, including current leadership, financial performance, branch coverage, employee numbers, or detailed product names. Accordingly, this entry describes the bank's documented history and business scope without adding unsupported financial or operational claims.
- 2020
Alizz Islamic Bank acquired
[1]Oman Arab Bank acquired 100% of Alizz Islamic Bank and consolidated its Al Yusr Islamic Banking window with the acquired bank.
- 2020
Public listing
[1]The bank became a public joint-stock company and listed its shares on the Muscat Securities Market on July 6.
- 2014
Digital-transformation strategy launched
[1]The bank began a digital-transformation program covering technology, banking channels, innovation, talent management, and strategic partnerships.
- 2013
Chief executive resignation
[1]Chief executive officer Abdul Qader Ahmed Askalan resigned.
- 1984
Bank established
[1]Oman Arab Bank was established as a commercial bank in Oman.
Products and positioning
A full-service Omani commercial bank combining retail and corporate banking with project finance, investment banking, trade finance, and Islamic banking.
Consumer banking
Retail banking
Retail banking is one of Oman Arab Bank's documented core activities. It covers the bank's consumer-facing financial-services role, although the available reference material does not enumerate the current account, card, lending, or digital products offered under this line.
Business banking
Corporate banking
Corporate banking serves business and institutional customers through commercial banking relationships and financing services. The reference material identifies corporate banking as a principal activity but does not provide a detailed current product catalogue.
Specialized finance
Project finance
Project finance is part of the bank's documented business scope. It represents financing for substantial projects or assets, but the supplied sources do not identify individual financed projects or the precise structure of the bank's offerings.
Investment banking
Investment banking
Oman Arab Bank lists investment banking among its activities, indicating a role in specialized corporate and capital-related financial services. The available references do not specify the bank's current advisory, underwriting, or capital-markets products.
Trade banking
Trade finance
Trade finance is another documented business line, supporting commercial transactions and related business-finance needs. No further product-level details are provided in the supplied reference material.
Islamic finance · 2020
Islamic banking
The bank's Islamic-banking business was consolidated through its acquisition of Alizz Islamic Bank in 2020 and the merger of its Al Yusr Islamic Banking window with Alizz Islamic Bank. The available sources do not list individual Islamic-finance products.
Brand decisions
2020
Acquisition of Alizz Islamic BankM&ABackground
Oman Arab Bank pursued greater scale and consolidation in Islamic banking.
Action taken
The bank acquired 100% of Alizz Islamic Bank and merged its Al Yusr Islamic Banking window with Alizz Islamic Bank.
Aftermath
The transaction consolidated the bank's Islamic-banking operations under the Alizz Islamic Bank platform.
2020
Conversion to a public joint-stock company and listingOtherBackground
The bank changed its corporate form and moved from closed-company status to participation in the public securities market.
Action taken
On July 6, Oman Arab Bank became a public joint-stock company and listed its shares on the Muscat Securities Market.
Aftermath
The conversion established Oman Arab Bank as a publicly listed banking company in Oman's securities market.
2014
Adoption of a digital-transformation strategyStrategyBackground
The bank sought to modernize its channels and services and promote innovation, talent development, and technology use.
Action taken
Oman Arab Bank launched a digital-transformation strategy supported by technology initiatives and strategic partnerships.
Aftermath
The supplied reference describes the strategic objectives but does not provide measured results or later performance data.
Recent events
Oman Arab Bank sponsors discussion session on influential women[3]
Reported:
Oman Arab Bank is sponsoring a discussion session organized by the Omani Women’s Association in Muscat, scheduled for the day after the article was published. The session is to address Omani women and entrepreneurship and success stories of influential women.
Oman Arab Bank launches iSend remittance service[4]
Reported:
Oman Arab Bank announced the launch of iSend, a money-remittance feature available through the OAB Online App and underpinned by Mastercard Send.
Oman Arab Bank appoints Sulaiman Al Harthy deputy CEO[5]
Oman Arab Bank appointed Sulaiman bin Hamad Al Harthy as Deputy Chief Executive Officer - Chief Business Officer, effective May 17, 2020.
Oman Arab Bank launches WhatsApp customer platform[6]
Oman Arab Bank announced the launch of a platform that lets customers communicate with the bank through WhatsApp, including access to answers, offers and savings tips.
Sources6 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/oman-arab-bank · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled