Muscat, March 09, 2021: Oman Arab Bank announced the results of the first draw of its Hasaad Savings Scheme for 2021. 101 customers won prizes of OMR 500 each, alongside 5 winners of OMR 1,000 each from the salary transfer segment. As for Elite account holders, two customers won OMR 10,000 each from the Ruwi and City Center branches.

Commenting on the launch of the new scheme, Rashad Al Shaikh, Acting Head of the Retail Banking Division at OAB, said, “We are delighted to announce the first batch of winners for the latest edition of the Hasaad Savings Scheme 2021. This is the largest scheme in the Bank’s history, specifically designed to encourage our valued customers to save more and ensure a stable future for them and their families. The Hasaad Savings Scheme is a motivational programme aimed at enabling individuals to manage their finances wisely and save on a monthly basis, so that they can deal with any emergency or unforeseen circumstances. We, in turn, reward them for their efforts by offering several prizes each month. The more they save, the greater their chances of winning.”

The Hasaad Savings Scheme 2021 will see 101 lucky winners each month from the 54 branches winning OMR 500 each, as well as 5 winners of OMR 1,000 each, from those who transfer their salaries to Oman Arab Bank. This is in addition to a Big Prize draw which will see two winners of OMR 10,000 each, every quarter.

The Elite Draws will see two winners every month of OMR 10,000 each. This is replaced by an Elite grand prize draw conducted every three months with one lucky winner of OMR 25,000.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners of the first Hasaad Savings Draw for January. We wish our valued customers the best of luck in the upcoming monthly draws, which will take place till the end of the year. We foresee over 1,300 customers winning incredible prizes, ranging from OMR 500 to OMR 25,000.”

Oman Arab Bank has a rich and proud history as one of the first financial institutions to be established in the Sultanate. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 54 branches and representative offices with 160 ATMs spread across Oman. OAB provides a complete range of financial products and services through its OAB Online App. Customers can now digitally open an account and benefit from several other services, directly from the convenience of their mobile phones.

Muscat, February 01, 2021: Oman Arab Bank recently announced the details of its new Hasaad Savings Scheme for 2021. The new edition has been enhanced to include even more prizes, to encourage the Bank’s customers to continue saving and enhance their financial stability.

Commenting on the launch of the new scheme, Rashad Al Shaikh, Acting Head of the Retail Banking Division at OAB, said, “Despite all the challenges that were faced by everyone last year, the Hasaad Savings Scheme has been successful in promoting a savings culture across the community, which we believe is core objective of this scheme. Today, we are delighted to launch the latest edition of the Hasaad Savings Scheme for 2021, which has several great prizes in store for our valued customers across the Sultanate. I am confident that the new scheme will see a great turnout from our customers, who have been the cornerstone of our success over the past four decades.”

The Hasaad Savings Scheme 2021 will see 101 lucky winners each month from the 54 branches winning OMR 500 each, as well as 5 monthly winners of OMR 1,000 each, from those who transfer their salaries to Oman Arab Bank in the Platinum segment. This is in addition to a Big Prize draw which will see two winners of OMR 10,000 each, every quarter.

The Elite Draws will see two winners every month of OMR 10,000 each. This is replaced by an Elite grand prize draw conducted every three months with one lucky winner of OMR 25,000.

“At the end of the year, we look forward to seeing 1,300 loyal customers of the Bank win these amazing prizes. The Hasaad Scheme is a way for us to showcase our appreciation to them, for placing their trust in us as a financial institution and reinforces our efforts to be their “Partner for Life”. We look forward to conducting the first draw of the new scheme for January during the upcoming days and announcing the first batch of winners. We wish each and every one of our customers the best of luck,” he added.

Oman Arab Bank has a rich and proud history as one of the first financial institutions to be established in the Sultanate. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 54 branches and representative offices with 160 ATMs spread across Oman. OAB provides a complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate banking and investment clients.

• Adil Al Rahbi: “Future job competencies will differ from what they are today and it is our role to empower and prepare the youth.”

Muscat, January 05, 2021: Oman Arab Bank launched the second batch of educational workshops on its online Learning Hub platform, which has received a positive response from its users. These include youth and upcoming entrepreneurs interested in enriching their skills in the fields of computer science, financial technologies and business administration. Following the launch of the second batch in November, several young individuals signed up to register and attend the innovative workshops that focus on a multitude of topics, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, new technology applications, business identities and other specialisations.

Commenting on the workshops, Adil Al Rahbi, Head of Human Resources Division at OAB, said, “A majority of institutions focus on launching initiatives centered on fields they specialise in. At OAB, we believe that our broader vision and role in society goes above and beyond the framework of financial services, through the provision of free educational services for the widest possible segment of young individuals. Future job competencies will differ from what they are today and it is our role to empower and prepare the youth.”

“To achieve this, we have entered into partnerships with specialists and institutions that are known to deliver expertise and knowledge enhancement. Agreements have been signed with renowned companies locally, regionally and globally, with the main aim to provide free educational sources to the youth and upcoming entrepreneurs in the Sultanate,” Al Rahbi added.

The second batch of workshops kicked-off on November 22nd and will continue until February 2021. Each will cover a specific topic and will be presented by an expert from within or outside Oman. All workshops are announced on OAB’s social media platforms on monthly basis. The launch of the second batch follows the success of the first series of workshops, which was launched earlier this year. The preliminary set of workshops saw over 700 participants attend more than 20 workshops in two months.

“Oman Arab Bank’s Learning Hub is the ideal platform for the youth to acquire a new and diverse set of skills to help them build a promising career in the future. Given the high number of registrations for the workshops, we believe that that the youth are keen to become the leaders of tomorrow and are proud to do our part in empowering them to achieve this objective,” Al Rahbi concluded.

Oman Arab Bank has a rich and proud history as one of the first financial institutions to be established in the Sultanate. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 54 branches and representative offices and 160 ATMs spread across Oman. OAB provides a complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate banking and investment clients.

Muscat, December 27, 2020: In recognition of its valuable service towards society, Oman Arab Bank (OAB) was recently bestowed with the Excellence Award in Social Responsibility during the Fourth Oman Forum for Partnership and Social Responsibility. The forum was held at Grand Millennium Muscat on December 16, under the patronage of Laila Ahmed Al Najjar, Minister of Social Development.

Highlighting the Bank’s achievement on obtaining this award, Feras Al-Farsi, responsible for Sustainability at OAB, said, “We are extremely proud to receive this award as social responsibility is one of the most important focus areas of our strategy. Our sustainability strategy was designed to strengthen OAB’s social impact within its three main strategic pillars: community partnerships, environment and financial inclusion, to ensure we are making valuable contribution to on the societal level, in parallel with business growth. In 2020, as a result of COVID-19, OAB focused its efforts to limit the financial and social impact of the pandemic through several special measures, for which we received commendation at the Fourth Oman Forum for Partnership and Social Responsibility.”

Oman Arab Bank launched a set of digital banking services to keep pace with the onset of the pandemic, and ensuring that their customers can fulfil their needs from the comfort of their home, limiting the spread of the virus and extending support to the health sector. A few of the most prominent achievements of 2020 include allocating an account for the donations to the Ministry of Health and donating OMR 500,000 to support these efforts. This was in addition to a further donation of OMR 500,000 by the Oman International Development and Investment Company (SAOG) (OMINVEST), which is one of the Bank’s main stakeholders. OAB also initiated the postponement of loan installments for all its customers in March 2020, as well as for those affected by the pandemic for the subsequent period. This was in addition to halting transfer fees and providing more facilities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). On the occasion of the 50^th National Day, OAB also wrote off the debts of over 150 defaulting borrowers, in consideration of their especially challenging circumstances. Furthermore, OAB launched an exclusive credit card scheme in Q3, offering a 0% interest rate and other benefits to frontline workers, who place their lives at risk for the greater good.

“Aside from financial support, we have continued to place innovation and education at the forefront of our strategy by launching the first Innovation Lab in the local banking sector. The lab will provide a professional platform for students, employees and companies operating in the field and is aimed at nurturing talents in the sphere of finance technology. In collaboration with a number of specialised companies, we have also launched a digital learning platform that offers a set of innovative and free workshops, targeted at youth and entrepreneurs, to enhance their technical skills. Last but not least, we renewed our partnership with the Environmental Society of Oman (ESO) and supported its virtual fundraiser event that managed to raise over OMR 100,000. During the event, we announced our long-term plan to reduce our carbon footprint, by measuring our environmental impact and finding more sustainable solutions,” he added.

Oman Arab Bank has a rich and proud history as one of the first financial institutions to be established in the Sultanate. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 55 branches and representative offices with 160 ATMs spread across Oman. OAB provides a complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate banking and investment clients.

• Dalal Al Rahma: Al Mar’a Magazine Special Award for Marketing & Communications
• Leen Al Atassi: Al Mar’a Magazine Special Award for Innovation

Muscat, December 13, 2020: A number of OAB female employees were recognised at the Al Mar’a Excellence Awards ceremony, organised by United Media Services group and Al Mara’a Magazine. Seven OAB employees are featured in the Al Mara Annual Book, unveiled at the event, including Dalal Al Rahma, Head of Digital Marketing, Communication & Events, who received the Al Mar’a Magazine Special Award for Marketing & Communications and Leen Al Atassi, Head of Innovation, who received the Al Mar’a Magazine Special Award for Innovation.

The awards ceremony was held at Sheraton Oman Hotel, under the patronage of Her Excellency Laila Ahmed Al Najjar, Minister of Social Development, and in the presence of Her Excellency Asila Salim al Samsamiyah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Investment Promotion, the honorable Lujaina Mohsen Haidar Darwish, Member of the State Council, alongside several female leaders in the Sultanate. The event was aligned with the Sultanate’s 50^th National Day of the Renaissance celebrations to highlight the achievements of Omani women and shed light on their contributions and effective roles in the comprehensive development of the Sultanate.

Leen Al Atassi holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a minor in Communications. She has over 14 years of experience, working in various positions within the Sultanate’s banking sector. She joined OAB in 2018 as the Head of Innovation, responsible for introducing new solutions and initiatives to strengthen OAB’s core competencies and grow its business. Additionally, she also supervised the establishment of the first Innovation Lab in the sector, which was officially launched in the first quarter of 2020.

Dalal Al Rahma has extensive experience in Marketing Communication in the banking sector, beginning her career more than 15 years ago, during which she worked with a number of major local banks. She joined OAB in 2014 and is currently responsible for the development of OAB’s annual digital and marketing strategy, including the website. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Bedfordshire and is a graduate of LEAD, a leadership enhancement and development programme, organised by the Inspirational Development Group (IDG) and OAB, in affiliation with the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst.

The Al Mara Annual Book comprises of the success stories of five other female employees from OAB, namely Abeer Al Maqdisi, Human Resources Business Partner, Sima Al Balushi, Head of Compliance Department, Fatima Ba Omar, Head of Payments, Wasfia Al Harthi, Head of Import Department, and Khalisa Al Wahaibi, Manager of Al Qurum Branch.

Oman Arab Bank has a rich and proud history as one of the first financial institutions to be established in the Sultanate. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 55 branches and representative offices with 160 ATMs spread across Oman. OAB provides a complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate banking and investment clients.