Central Bank of Oman Circular BM 1227 on Use of Omani Rial Symbol

Central Bank of Oman

Circular BM - 1227

Classification: General
Date: 12 February 2026

To: All Licensed Banks
Finance and Leasing Companies
Payment Service Providers
Money Exchange Establishment
Operating in the Sultanate of Oman

After compliments,

Subject: Use of Omani Rial Symbol

1. Reference is made to the launch of the symbol for the National Currency, the Omani Rial, which constitutes an integral element of the nation's monetary identity.

2. Its adoption aims to ensure a unified and consistent representation of the Omani Rial across official, financial and digital uses, thereby enhancing clarity, standardisation and recognition among other global currency symbols.

3. Banks and financial institutions licensed by the Central Bank of Oman, as key participants in the financial system, can play a central role in ensuring the standardised and consistent use of Omani Rial symbol.

Central Bank of Oman

Circular BM - 1227

4. Accordingly, all licensed institutions shall comply with the following instructions:

a. The Omani Rial symbol shall be used strictly in accordance with the specifications, design dimensions and usage standards as provided in Annexure I ('Omani Rial Sign Guidelines') to this circular.

b. The symbol shall be adopted and used, as applicable, across all customer facing channels, payment system interfaces, operational systems and official documents, including but not limited to the following:

• Account statements, advices, receipts, confirmations, cheque book and other customer/public communications, whether in physical or electronic form;

• ATM and CDM customer screens and receipts;

• Internet and Mobile banking platforms and digital applications, including payment related screens;

• POS terminals, QR payment interfaces, merchant/customer receipts, settlement and reconciliation reports;

Central Bank of Oman

Circular BM - 1227

• E-commerce check-out pages;

• Transaction notifications (SMS, email, push notification etc);

• Cheque/Direct debit return slip, dispute and chargeback documents and customer notices;

• Labels or tags placed with the deposited currency to CBO

• Internal systems and supervisory returns;

• Publications and promotional materials;

• Any other current or future customer/public facing channels where monetary values are displayed.

c. The symbol shall not be altered, stylised or used in a manner that may cause ambiguity, misinterpretation and misrepresentation.

5. Notwithstanding the above, licensed institutions may continue to use the internationally accepted currency code for the Omani Rial, where required for cross-border transactions, correspondent banking and

Central Bank of Oman

Circular BM - 1227

international payment and messaging systems (such as SWIFT), in accordance with applicable international standards.

6. Licensed institutions shall complete the necessary system and operational changes on or before 31st July 2026 and shall ensure appropriate oversight by the Senior Management for implementation of the instructions given herein.

7. All licensed institutions are advised to ensure compliance accordingly.

Best regards,

[Signature]

Ahmed Al Musalmi
The Governor

Annexure 1: Omani Rial Sign Guidelines