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Country story

Oman

Oman authorised Islamic banking through full-fledged banks and windows and subsequently updated its banking law.

The Central Bank of Oman’s framework covers licensing, governance, accounting, capital and risk, with a central High Sharīʿah Supervisory Authority.

Islamic banking assets21.59B2024
Manufacturing value added10 % of GDP2024
Median largest disclosed shareholding31.1 % of disclosed equity2024 · median across 6 qualifying banks
How Islamic finance is organised

The Central Bank of Oman’s framework covers licensing, governance, accounting, capital and risk, with a central High Sharīʿah Supervisory Authority.

Why this case matters

Oman offers a relatively recent institutional introduction, allowing the difference between regulatory creation and productive consequence to remain visible.

Central tension

Purpose-built governance can establish legitimacy before enough evidence exists to judge long-run allocation effects.

What cannot be inferred

The available period is too short to attribute structural economic change to the regulatory introduction.

Descriptive comparison

Manufacturing value added

Latest available year: 2024.

7.788.549.310.0610.8220182019202120232024YearManufacturing value added (% of GDP)
Oman
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Oman Manufacturing value added trajectory in original units. Values for Year and Manufacturing value added (% of GDP) by series.
SeriesYearManufacturing value added (% of GDP)Source note
Oman · 20182,0189.09Authorised country-level annual series
Oman · 20192,0198.03Authorised country-level annual series
Oman · 20202,0208.36Authorised country-level annual series
Oman · 20212,0219.21Authorised country-level annual series
Oman · 20222,02210.52Authorised country-level annual series
Oman · 20232,0239.35Authorised country-level annual series
Oman · 20242,02410Authorised country-level annual series

What this visual showsA verified country trajectory in the measure’s stated unit.

What it does not establishA causal effect of Islamic finance on the observed outcome.

Descriptive comparison

Financing directed towards FIRE-related activities

Country-year medians by bank type. Each point reports its covered-bank count.

FIRE ordinarily refers to finance, insurance and real estate. Here the measure is broader: it captures bank financing reported for financial institutions, insurance, real estate and consumer-durable activities. It is used as a proxy for firm-level financialisation. The measure does not imply that every underlying financing claim is speculative, harmful or unproductive. It is a sectoral-allocation proxy and a level measure that is sensitive to bank size.

24.2826.2428.2130.1732.1320002006201220172023YearLogged FIRE-related financing volume (natural log) (natural-log units)
ConventionalIslamic
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Oman descriptive medians by bank type, 2000 to 2022 where observations are available. Values for Year and Logged FIRE-related financing volume (natural log) (natural-log units) by series.
SeriesYearLogged FIRE-related financing volume (natural log) (natural-log units)Source note
Conventional · 20012,00127.271 covered bank
Conventional · 20042,00431.362 covered banks
Conventional · 20052,00527.782 covered banks
Conventional · 20062,00628.112 covered banks
Conventional · 20072,00727.554 covered banks
Conventional · 20082,00828.084 covered banks
Conventional · 20092,00928.111 covered bank
Conventional · 20102,01028.212 covered banks
Conventional · 20112,01128.461 covered bank
Conventional · 20122,01227.873 covered banks
Conventional · 20132,01328.394 covered banks
Islamic · 20132,01324.921 covered bank
Conventional · 20142,01427.856 covered banks
Islamic · 20142,01426.252 covered banks
Conventional · 20152,01527.986 covered banks
Islamic · 20152,01527.052 covered banks
Conventional · 20162,01628.026 covered banks
Islamic · 20162,01627.072 covered banks
Conventional · 20172,01728.076 covered banks
Islamic · 20172,01727.542 covered banks
Conventional · 20182,01828.186 covered banks
Islamic · 20182,01827.712 covered banks
Conventional · 20192,01928.246 covered banks
Islamic · 20192,01927.732 covered banks
Conventional · 20202,02028.296 covered banks
Islamic · 20202,02027.872 covered banks
Conventional · 20212,02128.356 covered banks
Islamic · 20212,02127.952 covered banks
Conventional · 20222,02228.567 covered banks
Islamic · 20222,02228.042 covered banks

What this visual showsDescriptive median logged volumes among covered banks.

What it does not establishA bank-size-adjusted or causal difference between bank types.

Institutional sources