MUSCAT: In line with its commitment to raising financial literacy and awareness, Bank Muscat, the leading financial services provider in the Sultanate, has announced a special campaign to spread the benefits of its free Irshad financial coaching programme for both individuals and entrepreneurs. First launched by the bank to help SMEs, startups, entrepreneurs and even individuals learn how to manage their finances and plan ahead for the future, the bank has called upon the general public in Oman to make the best use of this free mentoring programme for a number of topics including setting up a new business, personal finance and managing expenses, retirement planning and Islamic banking facilities. A total of 141 entrepreneurs and individuals have made use of the free coaching sessions till date.

The programme leverages the rich knowledge base of the bank’s executives for the benefit of those who seek mentoring. Coaching in a number of areas such as budgeting, managing financial debt, the importance of saving regularly, challenges for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and how to raise capital are available from experienced mentors and the programme is aimed at empowering participants with the relevant information they need for financial planning or running a sustainable business. Appointment for the coaching can be arranged through the following link: https://www.bankmuscat.com/en/irshad/Pages/default.aspx while feedback and queries may be sent to irshad@bankmuscat.com. 

The virtual one-to-one Irshad sessions are implemented through Microsoft Teams and can be availed by Omanis and expatriates. The sessions are conducted in either Arabic or English and participants may mention their language preference in the comments section while applying for a session.  To ‘Book a meeting’, applicants may click on the relevant link, input their details and choose the session, time, and date according to their preference. A calendar request for the meeting for the session will be sent to via email to both the Irshad Coach and the participant. The sessions are currently being done in online virtual mode using Microsoft Teams which can be downloaded and installed on computers, phones and tablets. Participants must ensure that they already have an account to sign in before applying for the coaching session.

Bank Muscat brings a wealth of financial expertise to the table with its literacy, awareness and coaching programmes. The bank attaches great importance to the development of SMEs, entrepreneurship, financial awareness and literacy as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives. It has been playing a stellar role in improving financial inclusion in Oman by developing both financial products and services as well as non-financial support that benefits not only customers but also the general public.

Other landmark programmes from the bank’s sustainability initiatives include the Little Investor awareness programme and the Maliyat financial literacy programme which especially equip the youth and school students with better financial awareness and knowledge. Maliyat in particular has helped thousands of participants to gain awareness and set up financial planning for important life goals.