CBO
Announces Approved Feee Structure for National Payment Card “Maal”

Muscat,
18 Nov 2025 (ONA) — The Central Bank of Oman (CBO) has announced the approved
fee structure for the national payment card “Maal” consumer Debit and Prepaid
card. The move reflects the Sultanate of Oman’s ongoing efforts to establish a
more efficient national payment ecosystem.

The
initiative aims to strengthen the national payments framework by reducing costs
for banks, merchants, and payment service providers (PSPs), while expanding the
use of digital payment methods across various economic sectors.

This
decision falls within the CBO’s broader efforts to support the digital
transformation of the national financial infrastructure and to expand access to
electronic payments and financial inclusion.

The
approved framework includes a full exemption from card issuance and reissuance
fees by banks and PSPs, in addition to waiving annual fees for cardholders. Hence,
“Maal” consumer debit and prepaid cards will be offered at Zero fees to
customers, while ATM cash withdrawal and related service fees will remain to
the existing regulations and directives issued by CBO.

This
initiative reflects the CBO’s commitment for enabling individuals to access a
low-cost national payment card that allows them to perform transactions within
the Sultanate of Oman easily, securely, and efficiently.

Further,
as part of CBO’s efforts to ensure affordable and efficient payment solutions, no
fees will be imposed during the initial phase on banks and PSPs for using the
OmanNet infrastructure to issue and process “Maal” card transactions, aligning
with the broader objective of reducing card payment costs across the ecosystem.

Under
the “Maal” pricing framework, CBO has introduced lower and more affordable
capped limits for the Merchant Service Fee (MSF) applied to transactions made
using “Maal” cards, whether debit or prepaid, through point-of-sale (POS)
terminals and e-commerce payment gateways.

The
“Maal” card fee structure also includes specially tailored capped limits that
reflect the nature of different categories of institutions and merchants. This
includes a lower cap for government entities, fixed fees for transactions
carried out by money exchange and remittance companies, and preferential rates
for small and medium enterprises holding the “Riyada” card issued by the SMEs
Development Authority. Charitable organizations have also been fully exempted
from all fees when accepting zakat, sadaqat and donations, in support of their
social role.

This
aims to ensure access to electronic payment services for all customer segments
and to promote the wider adoption of digital payments across the Sultanate of
Oman.

CBO
stated that this initiative aligns with its commitment to provide affordable
and accessible national payment services, thereby enhancing the efficiency and
sustainability of the payments ecosystem and supporting innovation and
diversity in digital financial services.

The
new framework will significantly reduce payment acceptance costs for merchants
and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), by up to 50% compared to other cards. This
transformative step will accelerate the shift toward digital payments, drive
stronger growth in e-commerce and digital services, and support building a
society that is less dependent on cash.

It
is worth noting that the “Maal” card represents one of the core pillars of CBO’s
strategy to build an integrated, nationally managed payment system operated
through the OmanNet network. This system enables individuals and institutions
to conduct transactions within the Sultanate of Oman with high efficiency and
at lower cost.

The
introduction of the new “Maal” card fee structure is expected to have a
tangible impact on the development of national payment services, expanding
their accessibility and promoting financial inclusion, while reducing financial
burdens on citizens, government entities and the merchants. These efforts align
with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 to foster a sustainable and inclusive
digital economy.The announcement of “Maal” card fee structure comes in conjunction with the
announcement of the pilot launch of the card on 20 November 2025, coinciding
with the celebration of Oman’s National Day.

During
the soft-launch phase, majority of ATMs and e-commerce payment gateways will be
ready to accept “Maal” transactions. However, some users may encounter number
of POS terminals that are not yet fully ready to accept “Maal” card, as banks
continue to gradually update and enable their POS devices. The initial phase
will focus on the most frequently used POS terminals and locations with higher
transaction activity.

Several
banks will soon announce the start of issuing the card to their customers, with
wider issuance and acceptance expanding gradually in the period that follows.

—Ends/AG