Oman Financial News

aviation and maritime corridors that connect India with key West Asian markets, complicating travel planning for patients and increasing freight expenses for exporters.While companies have yet to report a sustained demand shock, hospitals and drugmakers say the disruption to mobility and logistics systems underpinning cross-border healthcare and medicine trade raises the risk of softer medical travel volumes and higher export costs if tensions persist.The aviation disruption is particularly significant for India’s medical tourism sector, which recorded approximately 644,387 foreign tourist arrivals in 2024. It is particularly exposed to West Asia, a region that accounts for nearly 18% of inbound patients, or about 115,000 travellers, seeking treatment ranging from complex surgeries to advanced clinical care.As regional airspace comes under heightened security scrutiny, industry leaders say travel uncertainty is beginning to influence patient decision-making.

Indian companies with operations in West Asia spent the weekend tracking their employees and gauging the impact on their businesses as the US-Israel strikes on Iran escalated the conflict, freezing movement from outside and within the region.“We are in touch with the client firms. The workers are safe.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Centre has set new standards aligning domestic norms with global benchmarks for children’s apparel to help domestic manufacturers meet stricter international regulations, two people close to the development said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Iran has sought for years to build closer military ties with China and Russia, but its powerful friends are proving reluctant to step forward as the regime faces the most acute U.S. threat to its survival in decades.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India is developing contingency plans for crude oil imports as rising tensions in West Asia push global oil prices higher and raise fears of supply disruptions.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Saudi Arabia has surpassed Russia as India’s top oil supplier so far this month after a price cut, signalling New Delhi’s effort to reduce imports from Moscow after its trade pact with the US. Saudi Arabia shipped 1.13 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first 10 days of February compared to 1.09 million bpd by Russia, according to data from global ship tracking firm Kpler.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As Iran and the United States return to the negotiating table over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the geopolitical stakes have shifted. While Iran enters these discussions, which began on 6 January, on much weaker footing than in the past, US President Donald Trump arrives emboldened by the recent success of the Venezuela operation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Iran’s abandonment of a planned meeting with U.S. and regional officials in Turkey in hopes of holding more narrowly defined talks in Oman is right out of the regime’s hardball playbook—a last-minute curveball aimed at leaving everyone else off balance.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A number of Middle Eastern governments are trying to push the U.S. and Iran into talks to head off a possible conflict, efforts that so far are failing to gain traction as both sides dig in.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Alarm bells began to ring when US President Donald Trump hinted at direct intervention in what are the deadliest Iranian protests so far, posting “HELP IS ON ITS WAY" on his social media platform, Truth Social, on 13 January. The all-caps threat—Trump’s signature leadership style—urged Iranians to “KEEP PROTESTING", “TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!", and even “MIGA" (Make Iran Great Again).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI: A global glut of high-grade iron ore is reshaping India’s raw material economics—and pushing steelmakers to import more at home’s expense. The country's iron ore imports climbed to a seven-year high in 2025, as shortages of high-grade domestic ore, softer international prices and logistical challenges pushed steelmakers to look overseas—raising concerns over raw material security just as capacity expansion accelerates.

First, trade pacts serve as instruments of political signalling, allowing India to deepen strategic partnerships while preserving strategic autonomy.Second, they function as tools for hedging risks in an uncertain global trade environment, helping diversify economic relationships and reduce over-dependence on China.Third, deeper engagements provide greater protection for investors by clarifying rules on investment, dispute settlement and regulation.Finally, bilateral agreements help pre-empt exclusion amid the formation of trade blocs that increasingly mirror geopolitical alignments.Our agreements with Oman and New Zealand illustrate this shift. Neither is a major merchandise trade partner.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected]’s trade policy in 2025 unfolded against a challenging global backdrop of high US tariffs, geopolitical uncertainty and slowing global demand.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India and Oman trade goods worth roughly $10 billion annually. Still, the CEPA signed last week comes at a pivotal moment for India’s trade policy, as it seeks deeper market access, supply-chain security and services expansion.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: As the India-Oman free trade agreement (FTA) is set to be signed on Thursday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Muscat, the deal is being positioned as a key pillar of India’s expanding economic and strategic engagement with the Gulf, even as its immediate trade upside remains measured by the size of Oman’s market. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will be the final stop of the Prime Minister’s three-nation tour, which included Jordan and Ethiopia.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : An international New Year holiday often sounds expensive, but Oman proves otherwise. With its turquoise wadis, cliffside beaches, and dramatic mountains, the country looks luxurious yet is actually one of the easiest and most affordable international trips for Indians today.

Pakistani crew member on a fishing vessel off the Oman coast, the Navy said on Sunday. INS Trikand, a mission-deployed stealth frigate of the Indian Navy, on Friday intercepted a distress call from an Iranian dhow Al Omeedi, operating approximately 350 nautical miles east of the Oman coast. The Navy, in a release, said upon investigation, it was found that a crew member of the dhow had sustained severe injuries to his fingers while working on the engine and was in critical condition and that he had been transferred to another dhow, FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia, which was en route to Iran. «Trikand immediately altered her course to provide medical assistance to the injured crew member. The crew of FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia consisted of 11 Pakistani (nine Baloch and two Sindhi) and five Iranian personnel. The injured Pakistani (Baloch) national had suffered multiple fractures and severe hand injuries, resulting in heavy blood loss,» the Navy said. The medical officer of INS Trikand, along with a team comprising MARCOS (Marine Commandos) and the ship's boarding team, boarded the vessel to administer aid, it said. After administering local anaesthesia, the ship's medical team performed suturing and splinting on the injured fingers, and the surgical procedure, which lasted for over three hours, was completed, it said,

Rashmika Mandanna, one of India's most adored actresses, turned 29 today and took to Instagram to share sun-soaked photos from her trip to Salalah, Oman. While fans couldn’t stop gushing over her radiant snaps, there was one person who wasn’t exactly thrilled — her fitness trainer. In the photos, Rashmika is seen enjoying a serene moment at a table loaded with delicious food, dressed in a chic sleeveless black tank top paired with denim jeans and a wide-brimmed hat. Flashing her trademark smile and signature heart-fingers gesture, the actress looks every bit the happy traveler soaking in Salalah’s beauty. But not everyone is pleased with her indulgence. In the caption, Rashmika cheekily wrote, “Good food + full almost exploding happy tummy = angry Junaid Shaikh and Sagar (my trainers). I read this somewhere. Salalah — land of sun, sand and smiles. How cute it sounds!”

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Naveen Jindal, chairman of India’s fourth-largest steelmaker Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL), is building a private steel empire abroad, one that could match the size of his listed Indian company in future. Over the past five years, Jindal has built an end-to-end steel business with assets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are likely to get “further impetus” during commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to Oman this week, the government said Sunday.