Oman is no longer on the sidelines, It’s building a capital market that competes

At a fireside chat during Arqaam Capital’s MENA Investor Conference 2025, Haitham Al Salmi, CEO of Muscat Stock Exchange S.A.O.C, joined Danya Bashir, Director of Special Projects at Arqaam Capital, to break down Oman’s transformation from frontier to emerging market and the billions it aims to attract in the process.

Al Salmi highlighted how Oman’s fiscal reforms, a clear privatization roadmap, and a “market-for-the-market” strategy are redefining investor confidence. With foreign ownership rules relaxed and a growing pipeline of investable assets, MSX International is actively positioning itself for an MSCI upgrade. For MSX the goal is to deepen liquidity, attract long-term capital, and integrate regionally.

MSX isn’t waiting for capital to come instead the exchange is building the infrastructure and partnerships to bring it in. From ESG integration and fund structures to short selling and market-making reforms, Oman is ticking off the technical boxes and pushing companies to focus on sustained value post-listing, not just the IPO moment.

As Al Salmi put it: “It’s not just about getting listed. It’s about being listed and owning that responsibility.”