A decision that changes everything.
On 12 January 2026, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq issued the Royal Decree establishing the International Financial Centre of Oman. It was a statement about who the Sultanate of Oman intends to be in the global economy.
Royal Decree, issued 12 January 2026
The Sultanate of Oman has always known how to build trust.
Long before the language of financial centres existed, Oman was already doing what they are built to do. For centuries, Omani merchants sailed the Indian Ocean. To the ports of India. To the shores of East Africa. To the markets of the Gulf. Carrying frankincense, dates, and copper. They traded in goods, and in something harder to quantify. Reputation.
A handshake in the souqs of Muttrah carried the weight of a contract, because in the Omani way of doing business, your word was your bond.
That instinct, for trust, for principled engagement, for long-term relationships over short-term transactions, is the foundation on which IFC Oman is built.
IFC Oman is a new institution. It is rooted in something ancient.
January 2026. The Sultanate of Oman plants a flag.
For years, the Sultanate of Oman's economic diversification agenda had been building toward a question. What role should Oman play in the global flow of capital?
The country had the stability. It had the geography, sitting at the intersection of the Gulf, South Asia, and East Africa, with access to a combined market of over three billion people. It had a long-standing reputation for balanced foreign policy and measured governance that international investors increasingly value. What it needed was the infrastructure to match.
On 12 January 2026, that infrastructure arrived.
The Royal Decree issued by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq established the International Financial Centre of Oman (Royal Decree No. 8/2026). Under the law, IFC Oman was granted administrative, financial, and legislative independence. A parallel legal and financial ecosystem, built on English Common Law, designed to attract, deploy, and retain global capital.
- Before
Oman Vision 2040 sets the diversification agenda. Economic transformation programmes accelerate.
- On the day
Royal Decree establishes IFC Oman. Royal Decree establishes the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. Both issued the same day.
- After
Three independent governing bodies established. English Common Law adopted. FATF and IOSCO alignment built in from the ground up.
"The establishment of IFC Oman reflects the keenness of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to create an attractive investment environment that enhances Oman's position as a leading financial hub distinguished by stability, integrity, and efficiency."
A different kind of financial centre.
The region already has established financial centres. IFC Oman learns from them. What is being built at IFC Oman is deliberately different. A financial centre defined by the quality of its governance, its legal framework, its regulatory standards, and its relationships, rather than by the volume of transactions it processes.
It grows at the pace of credibility.
This means every element of IFC Oman's architecture is built to international standards from the ground up. A regulatory framework aligned with FATF and IOSCO requirements. An independent dispute resolution authority operating under Common Law precedents. A registrar of companies with clear, transparent processes. A legal and institutional structure that gives international investors the certainty they need to commit capital for the long term.
IFC Oman is built to be trusted.
The facts behind the framework.
Established by Royal Decree issued 12 January 2026 (Royal Decree No. 8/2026)
Headquartered in Al Mouj, Muscat, with its permanent home at Madinat Al Irfan
Administrative, financial, and legislative independence
English Common Law legal framework
Regulatory standards aligned with FATF and IOSCO
Three independent governing bodies: IFC Oman Authority, IFC Oman Regulatory Authority, and IFC Oman Dispute Resolution Authority
A cornerstone of Oman Vision 2040
Built to last.
IFC Oman is not a project with a five-year horizon. It is an institution designed to serve the Sultanate of Oman's economy, and the international investors who choose to be part of it, for generations.
IFC Oman is the platform through which international capital flows into Oman's strategic sectors. The centre through which Omani financial institutions access global markets. The jurisdiction that family offices, asset managers, FinTech companies, and professional services firms choose when they want a base in the Gulf that offers something genuinely different. Stability. Substance. The quiet confidence of a country that has been trusted for centuries.
The permanent home is Madinat Al Irfan, one of the most ambitious new urban developments in the Sultanate of Oman, located adjacent to Muscat International Airport. It is where Oman's next chapter is being written. It is where IFC Oman will stand for the long term.
Oman's story in the global economy is only just beginning.
Be part of the story.
IFC Oman is building something significant. If you are considering establishing your business in the Sultanate of Oman, we would welcome the conversation.
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