Non-Opec producer Oman plans to sell between USD1.5bn to 2bn of bonds internationally in 2017 to plug a deficit caused by low crude prices, according to a top official of the nation’s apex bank. “There’s an appetite still and I think even when interest rates are raised there will still be appetite,” Ali Hamdan al Raisi, Vice-President for banking oversight at the Central Bank of Oman. The size and exact timing hasn’t yet been finalised, he said.   Oman sold USD2.5bn worth of bonds in June in its first such sale since 1997 and tapped the bonds for an additional USD1.5bn in September. The country also raised USD1bn from the international loan market in January to help bolster its finances. (Oman Observer)