The financial sector index on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) surged to its highest level in 18 years last week, closing at 13,383 points as strong investor demand for banking and investment stocks lifted the market.
The total value of private deposits with commercial banks in Oman rose by 12.45 percent at the end of June 2026, reaching RO 19.3687 billion, compared with RO 17.1349 billion during the same period in 2025.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion has announced five major investment opportunities in Dhofar Governorate with a combined value of approximately RO 1.95 billion.
Oman and Saudi Arabia will step up efforts to boost trade, industrial integration and investment when senior officials from the two countries meet in Salalah.
Iran has secured almost all of its projected oil revenues for the first four months of the year despite restrictions affecting maritime trade, according to the Fars news agency.
Gold prices rebounded on Thursday after falling more than 1 per cent in the previous session, as investors turned their attention to upcoming remarks from US Federal Reserve.
Oil prices fell further on Thursday, extending a multi-day losing streak as expectations grew that diplomatic talks could help ease supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman oil price recorded a decrease of 5.45 US dollars compared to yesterday's price of 91.86 US dollars.
Oman is accelerating its shift towards a technology-driven and higher-value industrial economy, with the Sultanate targeting a manufacturing contribution of more than RO 10.7 billion to GDP by 2040 under its Industrial Strategy 2040.
"Even as jet fuel prices ease, we believe airlines may not be inclined to reduce fares quickly since demand has proven to be more inelastic," S&P Global Ratings said in its latest report.
The Lebanese lender has received regulatory approval to end its banking operations in the Sultanate, with customers given until October 23 to withdraw deposits and settle outstanding obligations.
Omantel’s technology arm, Otech, and DeepAstra have launched a sovereign artificial intelligence platform in Oman, offering organisations, developers and businesses access to multiple AI models through a unified application programming interface (API).
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