Oman sets stage for world's next investment conversation

Observer

26-04-2025

As the sun rises over the Sea of Oman, leaders from across the globe are gathering under the lofty ceilings of the St. Regis Muscat for something more than a business forum. Today, the Sultanate of Oman begins an ambitious new chapter—not just as a host of capital, but as a curator of the world's next big investment conversation.
The Advantage Oman Forum opens this morning with a promise: to rewire how we think about investment in an era of broken paradigms. And unlike the hundreds of forums that quietly fade into corporate memory, this one starts with a pulse. A purpose. A provocation.
It's not just about money. It's about mindset.
OMAN IS NOT PITCHING. IT'S POSITIONING
For years, investment forums in emerging markets have followed a predictable playbook: project showcases, investor brochures, keynote promises. But Oman, ever the measured voice in a loud region, is doing something different. It is not shouting its arrival—it is shaping the conversation.
Today's agenda is built on megatrends, not market clichés. Artificial intelligence, climate resilience, the evolution of global supply chains, the rise of storytelling as corporate currency—these are not abstract ideas. They are existential questions for companies and countries alike.
From the first session—'The Shape of Things to Come'—Oman places itself at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and strategic foresight. Not as an observer, but as a co-architect of the future economy.
WHY THIS FORUM, WHY NOW?
Timing is not incidental. As capital shifts away from high-risk volatility and toward strategic reliability, Oman offers rare attributes: geopolitical stability, rule of law, fiscal discipline, and a long-term vision under Oman Vision 2040.
The forum arrives amid quiet but radical transformation: new laws enabling 100 per cent foreign ownership, green hydrogen projects under development, a stock exchange restructuring, and global partnerships that go far beyond oil.
This is Oman's moment not because it shouts louder—but because the world is ready to listen to a place that thinks deeper.
Few would expect a Gulf investment forum to include sessions on vulnerability in leadership or storytelling as a trust-building tool. Fewer still would build an entire day around the psychology of risk.
Yet here in Muscat, thought leadership isn't just performative—it's policy-informing. Whether it's Richard Quest leading dialogue on global volatility or CEOs mapping new ESG frontiers, the forum isn't content with panel platitudes. It is built to move the needle—on ideas, deals, and diplomacy.
While international guests may marvel at the mountains of Al Jabal Al Akhdar or the cultural heritage of Nizwa, the real Oman transformation is happening in boardrooms and ministries. It's in the way the Ministry of Commerce now talks about AI. In how OPAZ speaks of 'investment ecosystems' instead of 'zones.' In the way the Oman Investment Authority speaks less about scale—and more about impact.
This is not branding. It's a reset.
SOFT POWER MASTERCLASS
CNN is here, not merely to broadcast Oman's story—but to participate in writing it. With anchors like Becky Anderson and Eleni Giokos moderating, this isn't media coverage—it's media convergence. Oman is placing its narrative on the global stage through one of the world's most trusted channels, ensuring that the forum is not only seen—but understood.
As a journalist, I've covered dozens of such events. But rarely have I sensed a country using an event not to catch up to the future—but to help define it.
This morning, Muscat becomes more than a capital—it becomes a canvas. For ideas, for policies, for partnerships. As Oman bridges its natural elegance with economic intelligence, the Advantage Oman Forum is not a one-off. It is a declaration.
And as the doors open today, the message to every investor, policymaker, and visionary is clear:
You're not just entering a forum. You're entering the future—from Oman.