Sunday 11 / October / 2026
Muscat: Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) on Sunday organised a media briefing on the occasion of the Sultanate of Oman's entry to the FTSE Russell watch list, during which the milestones of transformation were reviewed and broader horizons for dialogue were opened on the future of the exchange and its role in supporting the national economy.
Haitham bin Salim Al Salmi, MSX Chief Executive Officer explained that the inclusion of the Sultanate of Oman on the FTSE Russell watch list would enable a broad segment of investors linked to global indices to enter and invest in the Omani market. He noted that these indices adopt specific classifications for markets, to which dedicated investment strategies are tied, thereby allowing investors affiliated with them to direct their investments towards markets listed within those classifications.
He affirmed that the Sultanate of Oman's entry onto the watch list will allow those interested in tracking global indices to become acquainted with the Muscat Stock Exchange and the Omani market, and to access information related to the market, trading procedures, the mechanisms for opening investment accounts, and to identify the accredited brokers with whom they can contract to execute investment operations.
He explained that, following the upgrade, the Muscat Stock Exchange is expected to be included in emerging market indices, allowing investments directed towards the markets comprising these indices to flow towards the Sultanate of Oman. He noted that foreign investors view the markets of the GCC states as an integrated unit, which enhances the prospects of attracting investments to the Sultanate of Oman given its presence within the emerging and Gulf markets.
He explained that expectations indicated the possibility of investments flowing into the Sultanate of Oman amounting to OMR175 million, based on the market value subject to the index and its proportion to the total index. He noted that some reports indicated investment flows ranging between $300 million and $400 million, estimates close to the expectations cited, explaining that these flows will enter in stages, contributing to enhancing the value of daily trading on the Muscat Stock Exchange.
He added that the focus in the current phase is on providing trading platforms linked to local brokerage firms, enhancing these platforms and their role, alongside promoting them. He explained that these platforms primarily serve the individual investor, who uses them to conduct investment transactions, while the foreign investor can enter the Muscat Stock Exchange through brokerage firms, as well as through financial technologies.
He said that the upgrade will contribute to broadening the base of beneficiaries from the market and increasing the numbers of investors, and that the inclusion of the Muscat Stock Exchange in global indices allows broader segments of investors, whose investment policies or specific classifications require investment in particular markets, the possibility of entering the Omani market. He noted that increasing the number of participants would contribute to raising the value of investments, whether through rising share prices or increased liquidity levels.
Haitham Al Salmi noted that providing additional financial instruments for the local investor will afford him the presence of a counterparty represented by the foreign investor, enabling him to enter the market and maximise benefit from the available investment opportunities. He added that the presence of additional components and diverse financial instruments, once the necessary liquidity is available, will open the way for the creation of new financial instruments.
Ahmed bin Ali Al Maamari, Vice Executive President of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), affirmed that the joint efforts exerted by the government and the private sector to develop the capital market in the Sultanate of Oman have contributed to achieving tangible progress, reflected in international indicators and assessments, including the inclusion of the Muscat Stock Exchange on the FTSE Russell watch list, reflecting the progress made in developing the market and the readiness of its regulatory and technical infrastructure.
He noted that the coming phase requires building upon these gains to enhance the market's attractiveness to local and foreign investments, and to benefit from investment flows in entrenching a sustainable capital sector capable of providing diverse and effective financing sources for developmental projects in the public and private sectors.
He stressed the importance of accompanying this phase with conscious management of the risks associated with external investment flows, and of benefiting from regional and international experiences in developing financial markets, alongside enhancing the role of the media as a strategic partner in entrenching investment awareness and disseminating a financial culture founded upon objective analysis and well-considered investment decisions, in a manner that contributes to curbing speculative practices and enhancing confidence in the capital market.
