{"id":19323,"date":"2025-06-03T10:45:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T10:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/?p=19323"},"modified":"2025-06-03T10:45:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T10:45:30","slug":"marking-achievements-in-banking-excellence-ahlibank-named-best-bank-for-smes-in-prestigious-international-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/2025\/06\/03\/marking-achievements-in-banking-excellence-ahlibank-named-best-bank-for-smes-in-prestigious-international-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Marking Achievements in Banking Excellence: ahlibank Named \u2018Best Bank for SMEs\u2019 in Prestigious International Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a renewed achievement for the second consecutive year, ahlibank has been awarded the prestigious ‘Best Bank for SMEs’ title at the Euromoney Awards 2025, reaffirming its strong commitment to empowering this vital sector and supporting the national economy in the Sultanate of Oman. This milestone builds on the bank’s ongoing success, following its win of the same title in 2024. The award was received on behalf of the bank by Mr. Hassan Maqbool Al Lawati, AGM – Head of SME. This recognition reflects the bank’s ambitious vision for innovation and excellence, as well as its expanding impact on the financial landscape both locally and regionally.<\/span><\/p>\n

This accolade underscores ahlibank’s pivotal role in driving the growth of the SME sector through a diverse portfolio of financial solutions tailored to its evolving needs. In 2022, the bank launched ‘TAMKEEN’, the first digital crowdfunding platform of its kind in the Sultanate—offering financing packages ranging from OMR 20,000 to OMR 80,000 without the need for collateral or equity. Featuring competitive pricing, simplified procedures, and flexible repayment terms, the initiative has significantly contributed to enhancing financial inclusion and expanding access to funding to SMEs, ensuring sustainable growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

ahlibank’s efforts in this space have been complemented by broader initiatives, including its Point-of-Sale (POS) Financing Program, which offers flexible financing of up to OMR 150,000 based on POS transaction history. The program features a convenient daily repayment mechanism, tailored financing options for both operational and capital expenditures, and additional solutions such as corporate credit cards. This offering has empowered businesses to make more effective use of their cash flows, strengthen their ability to scale with confidence, and maintain operational stability amid evolving market conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this context, Mr. Hassan Maqbool Al Lawati, AGM – Head of SME Said:  <\/span>“At ahlibank, we take great pride in this achievement, which truly reflects the Bank’s leadership in supporting the pillars of the local economy and actively contributing to shaping a growing economic landscape built on solid foundations. Our strategy has been centered on empowering entrepreneurship through every possible avenue—be it through advanced banking solutions or impactful social responsibility initiatives—in alignment with Oman Vision 2040, which consider it as the cornerstone of the national economy by promoting diversification, growth, job creation, and the development of a globally integrated economic system.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The bank also launched a dedicated banking division for this sector, staffed with a specialized team of relationship managers who provide professional financial advisory and flexible financing solutions. These include overdraft facilities, working capital and equipment financing, invoice discounting, trade and export finance, and construction loans—all offered through streamlined procedures designed to support business growth with ease.<\/span><\/p>\n

This recognition also stems from the bank’s ongoing commitment to digital transformation, exemplified by its innovative solutions such as the ahlibank B2B platform, specifically designed to meet the needs of businesses, including SMEs. The platform offers automated corporate services including cash flow management, payroll processing, local and international payments, bulk payment support, ERP integration, virtual account management, and the generation of accurate financial reports. These features help enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate transaction processing. <\/span><\/p>\n

The bank’s efforts extend beyond providing banking solutions, making entrepreneurship support a core pillar of its social responsibility strategy. In this regard, ahlibank organized the ‘ahli Expo 2024,’ which brought together a distinguished group of entrepreneurs, partners, and industry experts under one roof through a comprehensive exhibition, engaging panel discussions, and hands-on workshops aimed at strengthening the local presence of these businesses. Additionally, the bank’s annual “ahlibank Ramadan Souq,” held for three consecutive years, continues to affirm its status as one of the most prominent exhibitions in the Sultanate. This year, the event attracted over 60 entrepreneurs and welcomed more than 2,000 visitors and 250 children, making it a vibrant commercial and social platform that contributes to economic sustainability and community engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

In parallel, the bank continues to strengthen its position as a trusted advisor in corporate banking through its Corporate Advisory unit, which facilitated several high-profile transactions in 2024. Among the most notable was its role as the collecting bank for the IPOs of OQ Exploration and Production and OQ Base Industries—landmark milestones in the evolution of Oman’s capital markets. The bank also successfully arranged multiple syndicated financing deals, including OMR 40.6 million for developing 300 villas in The Sustainable City – Yiti. This move reflects the bank’s strong commitment to supporting sustainable development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The recognition of ahlibank as the ‘Best Bank for SMEs’ is not merely an accolade for past achievements, but a testament to its continued commitment to driving economic growth, fostering entrepreneurial spirit, and contributing to a more inclusive financial future. This award joins a growing list of honors the bank has earned over the years, including ‘Best Corporate Banking’ and ‘Excellence in Corporate Banking’, reaffirming its solid standing as a leading financial institution delivering comprehensive, value-added solutions. As it continues to set new benchmarks in banking excellence, ahlibank reinforces its readiness to lead the next phase of inclusive economic empowerment.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a renewed achievement for the second consecutive year, ahlibank has been awarded the prestigious \u2018Best Bank for SMEs\u2019 title at the Euromoney Awards 2025, reaffirming its strong commitment to empowering this vital sector and supporting the national economy in the Sultanate of Oman. This milestone builds on the bank\u2019s ongoing success, following its win of the same title in 2024. The award was received on behalf of the bank by Mr. Hassan Maqbool Al Lawati, AGM – Head of SME. This recognition reflects the bank\u2019s ambitious vision for innovation and excellence, as well as its expanding impact on the financial landscape both locally and regionally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19324,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlibank.om\/ahlibank\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}