MUSCAT: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), in collaboration with the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), held a dialogue session in Muscat focused on enhancing banking services for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Discussions covered key areas such as supportive banking policies and legislation, licensing requirements for financial service providers, and enablers for SME growth. These included training programmes, partnerships, incentives, business incubators, accelerators, and financing options.
The session emphasised the vital role of partnerships between banks and SMEs in strengthening service delivery and addressing challenges that hinder SME performance and competitiveness.
As of March 2025, Oman has registered approximately 149,219 SMEs, with 27,611 holding Entrepreneurship Cards across the country’s governorates.
The event is part of a broader series of dialogue sessions initiated by SMEDA to promote public-private collaboration, empower entrepreneurs, and foster a supportive environment for sustainable SME growth.
Notable participants included Halima bint Rashid Al Zar’iyah, Chairperson of SMEDA; Rashid bin Zayed Al Ghassani, Deputy Executive President for Supervision and Regulation at the CBO; along with various government officials, experts, and SME representatives. — ONA
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