CBO
Rolls Out System of Partial Payment of Cheque

Muscat,
16 Dec 2025 (ONA) — The Central Bank of Oman has rolled out the Partial
Payment Cheque Clearing System effective from 15 December 2025, in line with
the new regulatory instructions on Partial Payment of Cheque.

These
instructions allow beneficiaries of cheques to receive the available funds from
a customer’s bank account in cases where the account balance is less than the
cheque amount.

The
new framework, which will apply to all types of cheques regardless of the value,
aims to enhance financial discipline by improving cash flows for individuals
and businesses and to minimize legal disputes related to returned cheques.

The
cheques eligible for Partial Payment of Cheque are Crossed cheques or Account
payee cheques, Cash, Bearer or Order Cheques drawn on a licensed bank in the
Sultanate of Oman.

Although,
it is mandatory for the beneficiaries of the cheque to accept partial payment,
the customer has full right to re-present the cheque to the bank to receive the
outstanding amount of the partially paid cheque, subject to the terms and
conditions prescribed by the Central Bank of Oman.

In
all cases the beneficiary retains their full legal right of recourse to the
drawer for the outstanding amount in the cheque, in accordance with the
provisions contained in Article (566) of the Commercial Law and the relevant provision
in the Penal Code.

The
Central Bank of Oman has enhanced the Electronic Cheque Clearing System with
features to support the functionality of Partial Payment of Cheques, for the inter-bank
clearing process among licensed banks in the Sultanate of Oman.

The
Central Bank of Oman emphasized that the introduction of Partial Payment of Cheques
represents an important regulatory step aimed to enhance the efficiency of banking
transactions, contributing to the stability of the overall financial system.

—Ends/AG