Company Insights Bank Muscat Banking & Finance Bank Muscat News Analysis Banking & Finance Omani banking sector ripe for further mergers Oman’s banking sector has more than doubled in size since 2013 but may lack the scale to meet state financing needs. Lenders are already stretched in terms of their loan-to-deposit ratios, and further sector consolidation is probably needed along with borrowing on international bond markets. Bank Muscat is Oman’s largest with assets of OMR13.7 billion […] October 7, 2024 Analysis Banking & Finance Omani banks look to state spending to boost credit growth Lower interest rates should increase borrowing demand in Oman although the sultanate’s banks are waiting for a meaningful expansion in government infrastructure spending for credit growth to accelerate. Bank Muscat is Oman’s largest bank, reporting a 2023 net annual profit that was greater than those of the next four commercial banks combined, S&P Global data […] October 4, 2024 Analysis Markets Oil IPO is latest step towards Oman’s emerging market status An Omani state oil company’s $2 billion initial public offering will boost the sultanate’s chances of eventually being reclassified as an emerging market by the world’s leading stock index providers. If achieved, Oman’s blue-chips will receive sizeable inflows from passive funds that track the MSCI and FTSE emerging market benchmarks, increasing bourse turnover and likely […] September 20, 2024 Banking & Finance Profit of Omani-listed banks rises 19% to $1.17bn in 2023 Omani banks listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) recorded net profits of OMR453.5 million ($1.17 billion) in 2023, an annual increase of 18.6 percent. The preliminary financial results showed that all seven banks listed on the stock exchange posted higher profits, the state-run Oman News Agency reported. Bank Muscat led the rankings with a […] January 29, 2024 Opinion Banking & Finance Strong results likely from Gulf banks – but there’s more to success than profit Expect healthy returns for 2023, yet look beyond the financials for 2024 January 26, 2024 Renewable Energy Oman plans fourth large-scale solar power park Oman has issued a tender to develop its next large-scale solar power project just days after financial close was announced on another. Nama Power and Water Procurement, the sole purchaser of electricity from independent power plants in Oman, has issued a request for qualification for the 500MW Ibri III project in the sultanate’s north-west region. […] January 19, 2024 Banking & Finance Bank Muscat to invest $390m in GCC-listed banks Bank Muscat is to invest up to 150 million riyals ($389.97 million) in various GCC-listed banks as part of its growth strategy. The sharia-compliant lender said in a statement on the Muscat Stock Exchange on Monday that it was given an in-principle approval from the Central Bank of Oman to set up a wholly owned […] January 15, 2024 Energy Omani solar plant secures $302m funding A 500 megawatt (MW) solar project in Oman has secured $301.8 million in funding from a group of international financial institutions. The Manah-1 Solar IPP is being built in Manah, located in Oman’s Al Dakhiliyah governorate, Oman Daily Observer reported. Wadi Noor Solar Power Company is developing the project, which is a partnership between France’s […] December 10, 2023 Analysis Markets Strong demand for Oman’s biggest IPO in two decades Oman’s joint-biggest initial public offering is attracting huge interest among retail investors, despite subdued recent activity on Muscat’s bourse, a senior financial industry executive told AGBI. OQ Gas Network (OQGN), a subsidiary of national oil company OQ, will sell 49 percent – or 2.12 billion – of its shares in an IPO. The company this […] September 22, 2023 Energy Oman’s OQ picks banks for $800m gas pipelines unit IPO Oman energy investment firm OQ SAOC has selected Bank of America Corp. and Bank Muscat as advisors for the initial public offering (IPO) of its gas pipelines unit, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The listing of OQ Gas Network is likely to raise nearly $800 million, sources said, adding the possibility of […] September 16, 2022 Posts navigation Previous 1 2
Analysis Banking & Finance Omani banking sector ripe for further mergers Oman’s banking sector has more than doubled in size since 2013 but may lack the scale to meet state financing needs. Lenders are already stretched in terms of their loan-to-deposit ratios, and further sector consolidation is probably needed along with borrowing on international bond markets. Bank Muscat is Oman’s largest with assets of OMR13.7 billion […] October 7, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance Omani banks look to state spending to boost credit growth Lower interest rates should increase borrowing demand in Oman although the sultanate’s banks are waiting for a meaningful expansion in government infrastructure spending for credit growth to accelerate. Bank Muscat is Oman’s largest bank, reporting a 2023 net annual profit that was greater than those of the next four commercial banks combined, S&P Global data […] October 4, 2024
Analysis Markets Oil IPO is latest step towards Oman’s emerging market status An Omani state oil company’s $2 billion initial public offering will boost the sultanate’s chances of eventually being reclassified as an emerging market by the world’s leading stock index providers. If achieved, Oman’s blue-chips will receive sizeable inflows from passive funds that track the MSCI and FTSE emerging market benchmarks, increasing bourse turnover and likely […] September 20, 2024
Banking & Finance Profit of Omani-listed banks rises 19% to $1.17bn in 2023 Omani banks listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) recorded net profits of OMR453.5 million ($1.17 billion) in 2023, an annual increase of 18.6 percent. The preliminary financial results showed that all seven banks listed on the stock exchange posted higher profits, the state-run Oman News Agency reported. Bank Muscat led the rankings with a […] January 29, 2024
Opinion Banking & Finance Strong results likely from Gulf banks – but there’s more to success than profit Expect healthy returns for 2023, yet look beyond the financials for 2024 January 26, 2024
Renewable Energy Oman plans fourth large-scale solar power park Oman has issued a tender to develop its next large-scale solar power project just days after financial close was announced on another. Nama Power and Water Procurement, the sole purchaser of electricity from independent power plants in Oman, has issued a request for qualification for the 500MW Ibri III project in the sultanate’s north-west region. […] January 19, 2024
Banking & Finance Bank Muscat to invest $390m in GCC-listed banks Bank Muscat is to invest up to 150 million riyals ($389.97 million) in various GCC-listed banks as part of its growth strategy. The sharia-compliant lender said in a statement on the Muscat Stock Exchange on Monday that it was given an in-principle approval from the Central Bank of Oman to set up a wholly owned […] January 15, 2024
Energy Omani solar plant secures $302m funding A 500 megawatt (MW) solar project in Oman has secured $301.8 million in funding from a group of international financial institutions. The Manah-1 Solar IPP is being built in Manah, located in Oman’s Al Dakhiliyah governorate, Oman Daily Observer reported. Wadi Noor Solar Power Company is developing the project, which is a partnership between France’s […] December 10, 2023
Analysis Markets Strong demand for Oman’s biggest IPO in two decades Oman’s joint-biggest initial public offering is attracting huge interest among retail investors, despite subdued recent activity on Muscat’s bourse, a senior financial industry executive told AGBI. OQ Gas Network (OQGN), a subsidiary of national oil company OQ, will sell 49 percent – or 2.12 billion – of its shares in an IPO. The company this […] September 22, 2023
Energy Oman’s OQ picks banks for $800m gas pipelines unit IPO Oman energy investment firm OQ SAOC has selected Bank of America Corp. and Bank Muscat as advisors for the initial public offering (IPO) of its gas pipelines unit, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The listing of OQ Gas Network is likely to raise nearly $800 million, sources said, adding the possibility of […] September 16, 2022
