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Oman’s broad money supply climbs 4.3% as interest rates ease across banking sector

Oman’s broad money supply continued its upward trajectory, growing by 4.3% year-on-year to reach RO 25.7 billion by the end of September 2025.

TAS News Service

info@thearabianstories.com

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Muscat: Fresh statistics from the CBO revealed that the expansion in money supply was driven primarily by a 13% surge in narrow money, alongside a modest 1% increase in quasi-money.

At the same time, cash held by the public fell by 2.13%, while demand deposits surged by 16.2%, signaling a shift in liquidity preferences and stronger banking activity.

The report also highlighted a downward trend in interest rates among conventional commercial banks. The weighted average interest rate on Omani Rial deposits dropped from 2.679% in September 2024 to 2.568% in September 2025, while the weighted average rate on Omani Rial loans eased from 5.604% to 5.479% over the same period.

In the interbank market, the average overnight lending rate decreased sharply to 3.815%, compared to 4.896% a year earlier. This decline aligns with broader monetary conditions, particularly the drop in the weighted average rate on repurchase (repo) operations, which fell to 4.892% from 5.790%, in line with the US Federal Reserve’s policy direction.

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