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IFC Oman
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Sectors — IFC Oman

Capital Markets

Sukuk, debt, equity, and structured finance for issuers across the Islamic world and the Indian Ocean.

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Capital markets at IFC Oman

A regulated origination, listing, and trading platform.

IFC Oman's capital markets framework is designed to serve three growing pools of demand: the Islamic world's appetite for Sukuk, the Gulf's expanding private credit market, and the cross-border equity issuance needs of companies operating across the Indian Ocean region.

The framework is hosted under common law. Bond indentures, trust deeds, security documents, and subscription agreements are governed and enforceable inside the jurisdiction without re-characterisation. For institutional investors and issuers already accustomed to English law capital markets documentation, IFC Oman requires no adaptation.

A bond indenture document with a brass paperweight and a fountain pen on a dark walnut desk under a warm lamp
Origination, listing, and settlement
Proposition

Why IFC Oman for capital markets.

01

Common-law documentation

Bond indentures, trust deeds, and security documents drafted under English law are directly governed and enforceable inside the jurisdiction, without civil-law re-characterisation.

02

Sukuk-native framework

Regulatory and legal infrastructure for the full range of Sukuk structures, Ijara, Murabaha, Musharaka, and Wakala, familiar to international Islamic investors and Shari'a scholars.

03

Regulated exchange and listing authority

The framework provides for a regulated securities exchange and listing authority for debt and equity securities issued in and through IFC Oman.

04

GCC Islamic investor access

A regulated bridge to sovereign wealth, Islamic banks, and takaful operators across the Gulf, and to institutional Islamic demand in Southeast and South Asia.

05

Indian Ocean corridor reach

A regulated address for issuers and originators serving the Gulf, South Asia, and East Africa trade and investment corridors.

06

Sovereign anchor

Oman is itself an active sovereign Sukuk issuer, with Omani corporates and quasi-sovereigns increasingly present in the market.

07

Independent regulation

Authorisation and supervision by the IFC Oman Regulatory Authority, operating on international standards for capital markets conduct and disclosure.

08

Full activity licence set

Seven regulated capital markets activities, from equity underwriting through listing and exchange services, available under a single authorisation regime.

What you can do here

Seven regulated activities.

IFC Oman’s regulatory framework supports the following capital markets activities, subject to authorisation by the IFC Oman Regulatory Authority.

Signing of an equity prospectus on a dark walnut boardroom desk under warm lamp light01

Equity underwriting and book-running

Lead management and distribution of equity offerings.

Lead management and distribution of equity offerings for IFC Oman-regulated issuers and Omani corporates, from prospectus preparation through allocation and settlement.

A bond syndication desk at dusk with monitors displaying yield curves and a distant city skyline02

Debt origination and syndication

Investment grade, high-yield, and syndicated loans.

Investment grade and high-yield bond issuance, private placements, and syndicated loan origination for Gulf, South Asian, and African borrowers.

An Islamic finance Sukuk certificate with a calligraphic seal on a dark walnut desk under warm light03

Sukuk origination and structuring

Ijara, Murabaha, Musharaka, and Wakala structures.

Islamic bond origination across the full range of Sukuk structures for sovereign, quasi-sovereign, and corporate issuers, hosted under common law and familiar to international Islamic investors.

Silhouette of a trader in front of a wall of illuminated order-book displays at blue hour04

Securities broking and dealing

Regulated trading and market-making.

Regulated securities trading and market-making for professional investors in IFC Oman-listed and international securities.

Fanned structured product term sheets on a dark desk beside a brass ruler and lamp05

Structured products

Credit-linked notes and capital-protected products.

Credit-linked notes, capital-protected products, and bespoke structured investment solutions for institutional and professional clients.

Interior of a modern exchange listing hall with a digital ticker board on a dark navy wall06

Listing and exchange services

A regulated securities exchange and listing authority.

The regulatory framework provides for the establishment of a regulated securities exchange and listing authority for debt and equity securities.

A credit rating report with a gold-embossed seal and a magnifying glass on a dark walnut desk07

Ratings advisory and pre-issuance services

Rating, documentation, and investor presentation support.

Supporting issuers through the credit rating, legal documentation, and investor presentation process ahead of public or private market transactions.

At a glance

The capital markets platform in numbers.

  • $0B+

    Outstanding global Sukuk issuance

  • 0

    Recognised Sukuk structures (Ijara, Murabaha, Musharaka, Wakala)

  • 0

    Regulated capital markets activities at IFC Oman

  • 0yr

    Maximum corporate income tax exemption on eligible activities

The Sukuk opportunity

The Sukuk opportunity.

Sukuk issuance is one of the highest-growth areas in global fixed income. The depth of Islamic investor appetite sits in the GCC, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, and is increasingly matched by the willingness of non-Muslim-majority sovereigns and corporates to access this investor base. Outstanding global Sukuk issuance has grown past USD 800 billion.

The Sultanate of Oman is itself an active sovereign Sukuk issuer, and Omani corporates and quasi-sovereigns are increasingly active in the market. IFC Oman provides the regulatory and legal infrastructure for Sukuk issuance vehicles to be constituted under a common law framework that is familiar to international Islamic investors and their Shari'a scholars.

For non-Omani issuers, African sovereigns, South Asian corporates, Asian infrastructure companies, IFC Oman can serve as the issuance jurisdiction of choice for accessing GCC Islamic investor demand.

Outstanding global Sukuk issuance
$800B+
  • Ijara

    Lease-based. The most widely used structure for sovereign and corporate issuances.

  • Murabaha

    Cost-plus sale structures, common in shorter-tenor issuance.

  • Musharaka

    Equity-partnership structures for project finance and longer-tenor instruments.

  • Wakala

    Agency-based structures used for hybrid and corporate Sukuk.

Demand centres
  • GCCSovereign wealth, Islamic banks, takaful operators.
  • Southeast AsiaMalaysian and Indonesian institutional Islamic demand.
  • South AsiaGrowing Sukuk issuance and investor appetite across Pakistan and the Gulf-South Asia corridor.
Private credit

Private credit and regional debt.

The Gulf private credit market is in an early but accelerating growth phase. Regional family offices, sovereign-adjacent investment vehicles, and international private credit managers are building allocations to direct lending, trade finance, and real asset debt across the GCC and the wider region. IFC Oman provides a regulated platform for the vehicles that house that capital.

  • Private credit fund structures

    Private credit fund structures and their managers, investing in Omani and regional debt opportunities.

  • Collateralised financing vehicles

    Collateralised financing vehicles and structured finance SPVs for specific asset portfolios.

  • Trade finance vehicles

    Trade finance vehicles providing working capital financing to Gulf, South Asia, and Africa trade flows.

  • Real estate debt vehicles

    Real estate debt vehicles providing mezzanine and senior financing to Omani and regional property projects.

The legal argument

The common-law advantage.

Capital markets transactions, bond indentures, trust deeds, security documents, subscription agreements, are almost universally documented under English law. IFC Oman's common law framework means those documents are directly governed and enforceable within the jurisdiction. For investors and issuers accustomed to English law capital markets documentation, IFC Oman requires no adaptation.

01

Bond indentures and trust deeds.

Indentures, trust deeds, and inter-creditor agreements drafted under English law are recognised and enforceable inside IFC Oman without re-characterisation under civil law principles.

02

Security documents.

Security trustee arrangements, collateral agency, and inter-creditor structures sit naturally inside the jurisdiction. Cross-border syndicated transactions can be agented from IFC Oman.

03

Subscription documentation and side letters.

LP subscription agreements, side letters, and investor protections drafted under English law operate inside IFC Oman exactly as they would in any major common law fund jurisdiction.

Continue exploring

The eight pillars of IFC Oman.

Move between the sectors of IFC Oman’s regulated platform.

Issue from Oman.

Speak to the IFC Oman desk for a single point of contact across origination, documentation, listing, and settlement of your issuance.

Contact the IFC Oman desk
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