Oman is deepening its transition toward a digital, investment-friendly economy, with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) leading an ambitious push to modernise services, enhance competitiveness and attract high-value investments. The Ministry confirmed that national strategies for e-government and digital transformation now form the backbone of the country’s shift to a knowledge-based economy, supported by major advances in human-capital development, regulatory reform, and digital infrastructure readiness.
Commercial activity continues to show strong momentum. By Q3 2025, Oman recorded 395,100 commercial registrations, 75,663 Oman Business Platform transactions and 70,900 foreign investment registrations. Industrial licensing reached 108,800 approvals across all governorates. Foreign direct investment rose to RO 30.279 billion by mid-2025 — a 12.8% increase year-on-year — with RO 2.701 billion directed toward manufacturing. Total trade with global markets reached RO 26.707 billion by August.
Manufacturing contributed RO 1.965 billion to GDP by June 2025, with industrial activities making up 18.6% of GDP. More than 25,000 certificates of origin were issued in Q3, and Omanisation in the manufacturing sector reached 23.9%.
MoCIIP continues to expand the Oman Business Platform, introducing digital lease contracts, financial reporting tools, interactive trade-name services and smartphone applications. With integration across 17 government entities and data exchange with 35 more, the platform enables unified digital transactions. By late 2024, 76.5% of all MoCIIP services were fully digitised and 89% of commercial activities were licensed automatically, resulting in over 748,000 automatic licences issued since 2021.
As of September 2025, Oman recorded 580,189 commercial licences, 108,829 industrial licences and 113,674 investment licences, alongside more than 2.8 million platform transactions. MoCIIP is advancing 15 new initiatives this year, from standards and metrology to investment facilitation, and has already completed over 70% of last year’s 41-initiative programme.
Intellectual property filings remain steady, with 3,718 applications submitted in Q3 2025. The Ministry has also reduced registration fees for foreign investors to ensure parity with Omani investors and launched the “Invest in Oman” Hall to centralise services across 14 government bodies and six private partners.
Non-oil exports rose to RO 1.618 billion in Q1 2025 — an 8.6% increase — driven by sharp growth in electrical equipment and metal products. The “Oman Exports” initiative supports exporters through global promotion, trade facilitation, and access to new markets.
Targeted investment attraction continues through “Advantage Oman” roundtables, outreach to markets such as Belgium, Russia, India, Canada and Indonesia, and upcoming engagements in Türkiye and South Africa. Programmes like Nazdahar focus on strengthening competitiveness, enhancing value chains and improving global trade positioning.
Progress in standards and metrology includes 13,500+ electronic conformity certificates, 22,000 customs release permits and 203 new Omani standards issued in 2025. Oman is also developing the Omani Accreditation Center to reinforce national quality infrastructure.
Fourth Industrial Revolution adoption is advancing through the “Smart Production Factories” project, now in its second phase assessing 60 factories. The National E-Commerce Plan has reached 75% completion, achieving full progress in e-procurement, legal frameworks and business facilitation.
MoCIIP continues to support job creation, skills development and private-sector growth. Over 10,800 Omanis were employed in key sectors in Q1 2025. Sanad Service Centers processed more than 813,000 transactions in the first ten months of the year. The National Team for Combating Illicit Trade remains active across 106 monitored activities to safeguard business integrity and support a competitive investment environment.
