BankMuscat finally adds Amex to its Merchant profile

BankMuscat recently signed an agreement to handle the Amex merchant business, in the Sultanate, an additional feather in its cap, after the recent acquisition of Diners Club, VISA and MasterCard merchant businesses.

This agreement with American Express will enable BankMuscat to utilise over 300 point- of sale machines, presently in the market. Many more such state-of-the-art machines will be deployed by June 2002. This considerably beefs up BankMuscat's merchant banking muscle in addition to its already pre-eminent status as the largest bank in the country - 90 branches and with 130 ATMS.

Abdulrazak Ali Issa, Chief Executive, BankMuscat summed up the event as "...With all the major credit card merchant portfolios In our kitty, BankMuscat customers- both merchants as well as credit card users can demand and expect more surprises in the shape of new world-class services in the ensuing months. We will aim to consolidate our No.1 position, not just in terms of cold figures but also in the hearts and minds of the people of the Sultanate"

American Express has had a long and considerable presence in the Middle East since 1959, starting with Lebanon. By June 2000, American Express Middle East launched its first Credit Card to existing Charge Card members.

No stranger to Oman, American Express had signed a Travel Representative Agreement with Zubair Travel and Service Bureau, way back in 1982, to ensure that visiting American Express customers received the same levels of service away from home.

Peter Dean, General Manager-American Express-Middle East and North Africa, expressing satisfaction on the development, had this to say " on behalf on American Express, I pledge my continued and strong commitment to the people of the Sultanate and look forward to providing them with increased financial solutions in the days to come especially with partners like BankMuscat."