MUSCAT: Amazon Payment Services, a regional leader in digital payments operating across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has now expanded its services to Oman.
Amazon Payment Services’ merchants can now accept online payments from all locally-issued debit cards with OmanNet to expand their reach and attract customers in the Sultanate, while continuing to be able to accept payments from other major globally-issued cards.
OmanNet is a safe, convenient, and reliable payment solution enabling shoppers in the country to conveniently pay with their debit card. OmanNet debit cards comprise 95% of all cards in the Sultanate, and with this launch, OmanNet cardholders are now able to shop on thousands of merchant websites enabled for digital payments by Amazon Payment Services.
Through this launch, Merchants will also enable the OmanNet payment option on the Payment Link invoicing product offered by Amazon Payment Services which allows merchants to collect payments from anywhere online by generating a link which can be easily sent to customers via email or SMS.
Commenting on the launch, Peter George, Managing Director for Amazon Payment Services in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said: “At Amazon Payment Services, we strive to facilitate seamless and secure payments across the region. The addition of OmanNet to our portfolio is an important step toward achieving this vision, enabling our merchants to accept payments through a prominent card-based payment gateway in Oman. With this launch, we are supporting our existing merchants to drive better conversion in the Sultanate, while enabling more Omani merchants to utilize our range of innovative payment products to accept online payments and grow their businesses.”
The launch also reinforces Amazon Payment Services’ commitment to strategic forward-thinking to help merchants prepare for the future. Oman is experiencing rapid growth in digital payment adoption, presenting a burgeoning opportunity for online retailers in the region. Specifically, more Omani customers are opting to use debit cards, with online payment and point-of-sale transactions found to represent 81% of card transactions in Oman in 2021, whereas ATM cash withdrawals accounted for only 19%, according to this data from the Central Bank of Oman.
Enabling payments from locally issued debit cards as well as from globally issued cards will help local and regional merchants to process online payments in Oman and grow their businesses, supporting them to expand their reach and provide their customers with multiple choices.
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