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Oman Signs Three MoUs with Saudi Fund for Development

The Omani Minister of Finance and the CEO of the Saudi Development Fund sign the memorandums of understanding. (ONA)
The Omani Minister of Finance and the CEO of the Saudi Development Fund sign the memorandums of understanding. (ONA)
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Oman Signs Three MoUs with Saudi Fund for Development

The Omani Minister of Finance and the CEO of the Saudi Development Fund sign the memorandums of understanding. (ONA)
The Omani Minister of Finance and the CEO of the Saudi Development Fund sign the memorandums of understanding. (ONA)

Oman’s Finance Ministry signed on Thursday three Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to finance several projects worth RO94 million (about $244 million).

The first MoU aims at supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by allocating funds to give access to soft loans in various sectors with a total of RO57.6 million ($149.6 million), ensuring the private sector’s contribution to the development process and providing support for job seekers.

The second and third MoUs contribute to financing infrastructure development projects in the Special Economic Zone in Duqm.

SFD CEO Sultan al-Marshad and Omani Minister of Finance Sultan bin Salem al-Habsi signed the MoUs during their meeting to discuss current and future aspects of bilateral cooperation to finance various projects.

Habsi said these MoUs are the culmination of the solid partnership between the two countries, adding that they will contribute to opening prospects for cooperation on many levels, including supporting entrepreneurship in the Sultanate and developing infrastructure, as well as promoting economic projects.

Marshad, for his part, said that the Kingdom seeks bolstering cooperation with Oman based on the SDF’s role in supporting social and economic development paths in Arab and Islamic countries.

The SDF has been working for around 45 years to finance and support development projects in Oman.

These projects aim to support the infrastructure sectors, higher and vocational education programs, the water sector, and development projects in the energy sector.

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Türkiye Cenbank Cuts Rates by 250 Points to 45% as Expected

14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Türkiye Cenbank Cuts Rates by 250 Points to 45% as Expected

14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Türkiye's central bank cut its key interest rate by 250 basis points to 45% as expected on Thursday, carrying on an easing cycle it launched last month alongside a decline in annual inflation that is expected to continue.

The central bank indicated it would continue to ease policy in the months ahead, noting that it anticipated a rise in trend inflation in January, when economists expect a higher minimum wage to lift the monthly price readings, Reuters reported.
In a slight change to its guidance, the bank said it will maintain a tight stance "until price stability is achieved via a sustained decline in inflation."
Last month, it said it would be maintained until "a significant and sustained decline in the underlying trend of monthly inflation is observed and inflation expectations converge to the projected forecast range."
In a Reuters poll, all 13 respondents forecast a cut to 45% from 47.5% in the one-week repo rate. They expect it to hit 30% by year end, according to the poll median.
In December, the central bank cut rates for the first time after 18-month tightening effort that reversed years of unorthodox economic policies and easy money championed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has since supported the steps.
To tackle inflation that has soared for years, the bank had raised its policy rate by 4,150 basis points in total since mid-2023 and kept it at 50% for eight months before beginning easing.
Annual inflation dipped to 44.38% last month in what the central bank believes is a sustained fall toward a 5% target over a few more years. It topped 75% in May last year.
"While inflation expectations and pricing behavior tend to improve, they continue to pose risks to the disinflation process," the bank's policy committee said after its rate decision.
A 30% administered rise in the minimum wage for 2025 was lower than workers had requested, though it is expected to boost monthly inflation readings this month and next, economists say.
The expected January inflation rise "is mainly driven by services items with time-dependent pricing and backward indexation," the bank said.
The central bank has eight monetary policy meetings set for this year, down from 12 last year.