Oman issued 19,267 new entrepreneurship cards during the first half of 2026, bringing the total number of enterprises holding the card to 32,103, according to the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, known as Riyada.
The card gives small and medium-sized businesses access to facilities and benefits provided by government and private-sector organisations. The authority said the figures reflect growing demand among entrepreneurs for these services.
Oman’s SME sector included around 267,535 enterprises at the end of 2025, contributing OMR9.2B to gross domestic product, or 21.8%, according to figures cited by the authority.
Riyada also signed 132 new incubation agreements and opened 16 incubators during the first half of the year, creating 284 jobs. Its advisory services reached 10,832 beneficiaries, while 6,113 people attended workshops on preparing feasibility studies.
The authority said 321 technology and innovation-focused startups had received startup company cards during the period. Its entrepreneurship readiness programme trained 8,200 participants, with 7,601 receiving completion certificates.
In financing, Riyada received 555 applications worth a combined OMR48.9M through programmes implemented with Oman Development Bank. These include schemes for industrial projects, working capital, franchises, local value-added projects and incubated companies, as well as the Dhamin programme, which helps SMEs access funding.
Source: Al Sahwa
