MSX
Holds Media Briefing on Oman’s Entry to FTSE Russell Watch List

Muscat,
11 Oct 2026 (ONA) — Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) today 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 RO 175 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 USD300 million and USD400
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.

For
his part, 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.

—
Ends/Khalid