Investors eye state energy firm OQ as Oman stock market poised for take off
Oman's stock market is back on investors' radar after its largest IPO in over a decade saw state energy company OQ raise $244 million.
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Samuel Wendel
Senior Market Research Analyst, Al-Monitor
Mar. 17, 2023
In the latest sign of investor demand for Gulf deals, Oman has welcomed its largest IPO in over a decade: the Sultanate’s state energy company OQ raised $244 million by selling a 49% stake in its oil and gas drilling business Abraj Energy Services, which began trading on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) on March 14. The oversubscribed offering generated $2 billion in orders, which included unprecedented participation from retail investors and saw a unit of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) join as an anchor investor. This has put Oman back on the radar for investors amidst a larger listing boom in the Gulf, with Abraj Energy’s IPO set to potentially fuel further activity in the Sultanate.
