Mala’a

Mala’a is the name of the new Credit Bureau from Oman’s Central Bank (OCB). The organization has been created to help Oman further comply with the international banking sectors requirements for credit transparency. The newly-spun out entity acts as Oman’s National Databank, offering Credit Bureau Services, instant credit-based decision-making & credit scoring, data analytics and aiding in the innovation in the FinTech sector.

Mala’a’s challenges:
• Create a literal and visual identity to support the Oman Credit & Financial Information Center (OCFIC) as it separates from the OCB
• Provide two voices for different market spaces (senior and trusted authority backed by the OCB plus a supportive information service to customers)

We achieved this by:
• Client workshops, stakeholder engagement, social media analysis and customer interviews
• Discovered the brand’s true purpose – ‘To contribute to a greater cause’
• Establish a brand personality as ‘The Advocate’
• Created a vision – ‘To empower growth through information’
• Defined brand values ‘Integrity’, ‘Dynamism’ and ‘Diligence’
• Articulate a promise – ‘To bring order, clarity and confidence’
• Summing their proposition: (Mala’a) are the national reference point for accurate & timely financial information. We bring clarity and confidence to the financial system of the nation, promoting financial inclusion by giving Oman and Omanis greater access to funds. We are the stimulators of investment & progress in Oman.

• The brand has been rolled out to key businesses in Oman as part of a multi-stage deployment
• This signaled the changes the OCB are committed to in terms of transforming the national economy to one of enhanced transparency driven by positive, data-driven outcomes
• While it is early in the deployment to talk metrics, the brand was unanimously approved by the OCB, and initial support from the business community in Oman has been notably positive.