BankDhofar wins Oman Retail Banking title at Asian Banking & Finance Awards 2026

BankDhofar has been named Domestic Retail Bank of the Year – Oman at the prestigious Asian Banking & Finance (ABF) Retail Banking Awards 2026, in recognition of its successful transformation of its retail banking business through a strategy focused on network expansion, customer service excellence, strategic partnerships, and digital innovation.

The award places BankDhofar among Asia's leading retail banks and reflects the institution's sustained efforts to enhance customer experience while expanding access to modern banking solutions across the Sultanate.

The Asian Banking & Finance Retail Banking Awards, now in their 21st year, are widely regarded as one of the region's leading banking accolades. Organised by Asian Banking & Finance, the awards recognise financial institutions that demonstrate excellence in retail banking innovation, digital transformation, customer experience, lending, payments, wealth management, financial inclusion, and sustainability. The annual programme attracts leading banks from across Asia and serves as a benchmark for best practices in the retail banking sector.

BankDhofar's recognition follows a multi-pronged strategy that has strengthened its position in Oman's increasingly competitive retail banking market.

The bank operates the country's second-largest branch network, enabling it to serve customers across urban centres, semi-urban communities, and underserved regions. The expanded physical footprint has supported strong customer acquisition, sustained growth in retail deposits, higher fee-based income, and deeper customer engagement across multiple product segments.

Customer service has remained a key differentiator, with the bank maintaining its "Promise to Serve" commitment of attending to customers within 10 minutes at its branches, reinforcing its focus on delivering a superior banking experience.

Alongside its branch expansion, BankDhofar has forged strategic partnerships with global financial leaders including BlackRock and Mastercard to broaden its retail offerings. Through these collaborations, customers have gained access to globally diversified investment portfolios tailored to different risk profiles, while enhanced card and payment solutions include instant remittance services to major expatriate corridors and expanded international money transfer capabilities.

Digital transformation has also been central to the bank's retail strategy. Over the past year, BankDhofar has introduced a mobile digital onboarding application that enables customers to open accounts remotely, launched a merchant self-service portal, upgraded its internet banking platform with enhanced functionality, rolled out a next-generation mobile banking application, and deployed an AI-powered chatbot providing intelligent, round-the-clock customer support.

The latest award underscores BankDhofar's continued investment in technology, customer-centric innovation, and service excellence as it seeks to strengthen its leadership in Oman's retail banking sector while delivering greater value and convenience to customers.