Muscat – The Forum, to be held from November 3 to 6, will witness the participation of heads and members of more than fifty sovereign funds from forty-six countries around the world.

Speaking at a press conference, Sheikh Nasser bin Sulaiman Al Harthy, Deputy Chairman of the Oman Investment Authority for Operations, said that hosting the meeting embodies the Sultanate’s efforts to open new horizons of economic integration with global sovereign wealth funds and enhance investments with them.

He noted that the meeting will be attended by officials of the largest sovereign funds in the world, who manage assets with a total value exceeding eight trillion US dollars.

He pointed out that the conference accompanying the meeting will be attended by a group of prominent speakers at the global and regional levels, including Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, who will participate virtually (remotely), H.E. Eng. Salim Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, H.E. Abdul Salam Al Marshidi, Chairman of the Oman Investment Authority, in addition to Robert Smith, the richest American of African origin, Antonio Crassis, CEO of Valor, and Yan Yu, Legal Advisor at the International Monetary Fund.

He further added that the forum represents an opportunity to introduce Oman’s investment capabilities and create partnerships for investments in targeted sectors, thereby opening horizons for building long-term investment relations that will contribute positively to economic diversification and development of the national economy.

He said that the conference accompanying the meeting will review the latest topics related to global changes in the investment sector, such as energy transformation, artificial intelligence, supply chains and governance, in addition to the social dimension in directing these investments. The meeting is also an opportunity to meet with senior executives from various sovereign wealth funds to discuss the most prominent contemporary global issues, exchange views on various investment and economic topics, and discuss the challenges facing sovereign wealth funds.

Sheikh Nasser Al Harthy explained that the conference agenda topics were chosen to be relevant and of interest to the Omani economic agenda, including the development and growth of the roles of sovereign wealth funds, the impact of energy transformations on the investment landscape in developing economies, the need to enhance governance in sovereign wealth funds, supply chains in a changing world, in addition to investment opportunities in green hydrogen, investment and co-financing in sovereign wealth fund frameworks.

He said that in order to learn about the tourist, economic and historical components that the Sultanate of Oman abounds with, the Authority has prepared a comprehensive programme for the forum’s guests, which includes visits to Nizwa Fort, Harat Al Aqar, the Oman Across Time Museum, Al Mirani Fort, and the Royal Opera House Muscat.

He added that the Oman Investment Authority, in cooperation with the Central Bank of Oman, will issue a commemorative coin on the occasion of the Sultanate of Oman hosting this forum, and will also issue, in cooperation with Oman Post, a postage stamp under the name “Oman, Land of Opportunities.”

The Deputy Chairman of the Oman Investment Authority for Operations also explained that the Authority is expected to sign a partnership agreement with one of the investment funds participating in the Global Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds.

Duncan Bonfield, CEO of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, expressed his admiration for the program prepared by the Oman Investment Authority for the meeting, explaining that it will include a wide range of meetings and dialogue sessions. The meeting will also elect a new board of directors for the International Forum from a record number of candidates for the elections.

He said this level of interest in the forum shows that the organisation is in good shape, and it is fortunate that Muscat is a great example of this; it is a wonderful city and our members will enjoy seeing the stunning scenery of Oman, meeting the Omani people and learning about their culture.