The Middle East

Since the start of the economic slowdown in 2015, there has been much talk about consolidation in Oman’s banking sector, and in 2018 major Omani banks announced plans for potential mergers. Oman Arab Bank, the country’s only unlisted bank, and Alizz Islamic Bank signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2018 to consolidate the two...

Decades of growth in trade and foreign investment have seen economies around the world become more interconnected than ever before. The production of goods and, increasingly, the provision of services have become fractured across borders as corporations create and integrate into regional and global value chains. These trends have been...

The period of easily raising funds from abroad seems to be coming to an end for emerging markets around the world. In the new environment of higher interest rates in the US and increased competition for capital flows, portfolio managers are becoming more selective with where they place their money.

The question of how to shift the economy to be more focused on the private sector is a central government concern. In early 2018 the Ministry of Finance published its annual statement on Oman’s general budget for 2018, setting out the strategic objectives that public spending is driving towards. Among the many budgetary goals referred to in...

Final yearly results for Oman’s insurance market suggest that the sector has been growing at a subdued pace. However, upcoming regulations, such as those mandating compulsory health care insurance for Omanis and expatriates alike, and the required level of national Omanis working in the insurance sector, should help boost premium uptake and...

In January 2018 Oman issued its largest-ever bond in the international market as investor confidence increased amid rising oil prices. The $6.5bn bond attracted orders worth $15bn as the price for Brent crude oil rose from lows of $45 per barrel in June 2017 to $69 on January 31, 2018. The bond was sold in three tranches: the five-year tranche...