MUSCAT: Oman’s competition regulator opened investigations into nine complaints and reports of suspected anti-competitive practices and reviewed six merger and acquisition applications in the first half of 2026, as it stepped up scrutiny of market concentration.
The Competition Protection and Monopoly Prevention Centre at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion also monitored more than 300 transactions relating to economic concentration through the Oman Business platform.
Its reviews included technical assessments and preliminary economic analysis to determine the potential effects of proposed transactions on competition and recommend appropriate action.
The centre also used data from Muscat Clearing and Depository Company to track changes in major shareholders’ holdings, supporting its assessment of market structures and potential competition risks.
Khalid bin Khamis al Masrouri, the centre’s Acting Director-General, said effective competition was central to an efficient economy capable of attracting investment.
Competitive markets help improve the quality of products and services, encourage innovation and support better pricing, while giving businesses of different sizes a fair opportunity to compete, he said.
The centre combines enforcement, market oversight and sector analysis to identify and address practices that could undermine competition. Its work extends beyond investigating complaints to examining business behaviour, economic developments and transactions that could alter market concentration.
Al Masrouri said scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions sought to balance business expansion and investment with the need to prevent restrictions on competition or unjustified market dominance.
The centre is also working to update legislation, develop a comprehensive national competition policy and establish indicators to measure competition across economic sectors.
Planned digital improvements include greater use of data analysis and early-warning tools to identify emerging risks. The next phase of its work will focus on priority sectors and closer coordination with government bodies and businesses, with an emphasis on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and strengthening investor confidence.
Alongside competition oversight, the ministry is monitoring harmful international trade practices that could affect domestic manufacturers.
Badr bin Mubarak al Hajari, Head of the ministry’s Anti-Dumping Department, said trade remedies were an important means of protecting national industry against unfair competition.
He said dumping involved imports priced below their normal value, with action subject to established criteria concerning their effects on domestic producers of similar goods.
The ministry monitors investigations involving imports in coordination with relevant Gulf authorities, using technical and economic evidence and established procedures. Al Hajari said the approach sought to protect domestic industry while meeting the Sultanate of Oman’s international trade obligations.
The ministry also assists Omani exporters facing trade remedy investigations overseas. It coordinates with companies and other stakeholders to provide information and evidence supporting their position during proceedings.
Al Hajari said defending manufacturers and exporters helped sustain production, preserve access to overseas markets and strengthen the competitiveness of Omani goods.
In its sector research programme, the centre reported that more than 90 per cent of recommendations arising from studies of hypermarkets and price differences in vehicles and spare parts had been implemented.
The studies form part of efforts to identify obstacles to competition and propose measures to improve market efficiency.
Further research covers construction and building materials, in cooperation with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, as well as e-commerce. The work examines changing business models and their implications for competition and consumer interests.
The centre has published five guidance manuals on the ministry’s website to help businesses and investors understand their obligations under the Competition Protection and Anti-Monopoly Law and its executive regulations.
Its legislative programme includes reviewing the competition framework to reflect changes in economic and commercial activity and preparing a national competition policy with relevant stakeholders.
It also plans to develop national competition indicators using advanced analytical methods, automate services and connect them with relevant government systems.
A proposed central market-monitoring database would be linked to an early-warning system to identify potential anti-competitive practices and market distortions, supporting faster analysis and regulatory decisions.
The centre is also seeking closer regional and international cooperation through memoranda of understanding and coordination arrangements with Gulf Cooperation Council states and international competition bodies.
The initiatives support the ministry’s wider efforts to improve market transparency, protect domestic industry and strengthen the role of the private sector under Oman Vision 2040.
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