Muscat – H H Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham al Said, Honorary President of the Promising Omani Startups Programme, visited Thawani Technologies, the Sultanate’s first licensed financial technology company, as part of a series of visits aimed at encouraging promising startups, listening to their ambitions, and enhancing their contribution to the national economy.

Established in 2016, Thawani has swiftly positioned itself at the forefront of Oman’s fintech sector, delivering innovative digital financial services that support the nation’s drive towards digital transformation under Oman Vision 2040.

During a tour of Thawani’s headquarters, His Highness Bilarab was introduced to the company’s specialised services, including smartphone payment solutions, biometric payment technologies utilising facial recognition and palm print authentication, as well as the deployment of artificial intelligence, deep learning, and secure payment card systems.

The company also showcased its most prominent achievements, such as securing the Innovation Unit Award for Entrepreneurship in 2020 and the title of Best FinTech Company in the Middle East for 2024. In addition, Thawani outlined its ambitious plans for regional and international expansion, reinforcing the growing influence of Omani startups on the global stage.

His Highness Bilarab commended Thawani for its success in leveraging modern technologies to strengthen the digital payments and collections ecosystem in the Sultanate. He underscored the importance of startups continually developing their capabilities and staying abreast of the latest global innovations.

Accompanying His Highness during the visit were H E Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. H E Dr Saif bin Abdullah al Hadabi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation for Scientific Research and Innovation, Eng Said bin Abdullah al Mandhari, CEO of the Omani Information and Communications Technology Group (Ithkaa) along with members of the Supervisory Committee of the Promising Omani Startups Programme.