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The Financial Services Authority presented the core elements of the executive regulations for the Securities Law, which center on efficient use of national assets and creation of a supportive environment for investors. FSA CEO Ahmed Al Mamari said the framework establishes a more competitive setting capable of drawing both domestic and international capital while offering new financing channels. “The Securities Law and its executive regulations aim to create a more efficient and competitive investment environment, attracting both local and foreign capital, and providing financing alternatives that support the national economy and contribute to achieving the objectives of Oman Vision 2040,” Al Mamari stated. The regulations took effect the day after their publication in the Official Gazette.
Al Mamari highlighted that the rules establish investment banking as a regulated securities activity for the first time, enabling specialized institutions to connect companies with investors. Licensed investment banks may now conduct investment management, financial product structuring, securities portfolio management, research and advisory services on listed securities, and issue management. The authority added that these entities can also serve as underwriters for offerings it has approved, expanding their role in primary market transactions.
Commercial banks will be barred from performing securities activities directly and must instead route them through legally separate entities, the FSA decision made clear. Capital market institutions have six months from the regulations’ entry into force to bring their operations into compliance. Banks already engaged in such business receive a transitional window of up to three years to complete the required separation.
The updated framework broadens collective investment funds to encompass eleven distinct categories that can function as vehicles for asset growth and project financing across the Sultanate. It further introduces rules on crowdfunding platforms, credit rating agencies, enhanced disclosure standards and a regulatory sandbox for financial technology experiments. According to the FSA these additions modernize the market while maintaining stability and safeguarding participants.
S&P Global Ratings affirmed Oman’s sovereign credit rating at BBB- with a stable outlook in March 2026, a development that the regulations seek to reinforce through greater transparency and investor confidence. The authority’s assessment found that the changes will diversify available instruments and contribute to more inclusive economic expansion in support of national priorities. Recent FSA briefings to the Oman Investment Authority have outlined complementary capital market incentive programs designed to help companies access listing pathways on the Muscat Stock Exchange.
The executive regulations form part of a wider reform trajectory that includes risk-based supervision and preparation for innovative products, the FSA noted in its announcements. Entities must adhere to the new licensing criteria to operate in these expanded areas. This structured approach aims to elevate the overall competitiveness of Oman’s capital market within the region.
