Monday 18 / November / 2024
Muscat: Bank Muscat, the leading financial institution in the Sultanate, has announced that 59 branches distributed across various governorates, will provide various critical banking services from Sunday, April 5.
The branches will work on a rotation basis and will change every week as required by the situation. This step comes in line with the implementation of the directives of the Supreme Committee and directives of the Central Bank of Oman for dealing with COVID-19 to reduce the number of employees in offices while ensuring continuity of work and provision of critical services.
The new measures will ensure social distancing to limit and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus while ensuring the continuation of critical banking facilities including ATMs/CDMs and other e-banking channels. Bank customers can find out the names and locations of the branches which are open during this period by visiting the COVID-19 help page on the bank’s website https://www.bankmuscat.com/en/awareness/Pages/update.aspx as well as through the bank’s official social media channels.
The branches that will operate during the current period were chosen by the bank based on easy accessibility to the maximum number of customers as well as ensuring that banking facilities remain accessible across all wilayats and remote locations. Operational branches will be changed weekly and also according to the latest developments and announcements related to the COVID-19 by the Supreme Committee and authorities. The changes will be continuously updated on the bank’s website as well as through social media channels to inform all customers who may need to access branch services during the current period. The bank has also requested its customers to note that the branches will have reduced working hours from 8 am to 12 noon (Sunday to Thursday), which has been implemented to reduce the movement of customers and employees in line with regulatory directives.
The Bank urges its customers under regulatory guidance to adopt digital banking and avoid branch visits, limiting such visits, as far as possible, to only critical services that cannot be performed using mobile banking, Internet banking, ATM/CDMs and Contact Centre and IVR services. Bank’s e-channels are available 24/7 to serve your needs. ATM/CDMs located at closed branches will continue to operate. A detailed listing of the services available on mobile banking and Internet banking for individuals and companies is available on the COVID-19 help page on the Bank’s website that contains dedicated sections for various service channels.
In line with the expected response to the COVID-19 situation and regulator guidance of the Central Bank, the selected branches will provide limited critical services including teller transaction that exceed the daily ATM/CDM card limits of account holders; funds transfers including remittances if it cannot be done through mobile and Internet banking; Cheque deposits/clearing transactions; delivery and replacement (non-personalized) of Debit and Credit Cards; activation of dormant or blocked accounts; new personal loans and credit cards, home loan stage payments and Retail Enterprise (Najahi) disbursements under approved credit facilities; retail insurance products (e.g. motor insurance renewal); online banking registration & related services; a collection of cards, cheque books etc. and loans and credit card closures with customer’s funds; and corporate banking services such as trade-related payments, clearing of cheques and salary processing.
Meanwhile, the bank has also requested all its customers to make full use of its e-channels. Our Contact Centre, IVR services, ATMs and CDMs (including those at closed branches), mobile and Internet banking are available 24X7 for making transactions such as transfers, bill payments, remittances and general enquiries.
