The Sultanate’s corporate rulebook
An article written by Saqib Jillani as appeared in The Report: Oman 2010 published by Oxford Business Group 

Corporate governance includes corporate customs, policies, processes and internal bylaws and laws enacted by the state to regulate the senior management of corporate entities, inclusive of directors, and to render such persons accountable to the shareholders so as to ensure the transparent operation of a company.... Read more
 

Legal rules and principles for the digital age
An article written by Hassan Aslam as appeared in The Report: Oman 2010 published by Oxford Business Group 

The Commercial Code of Oman, Royal Decree No. 55/90 (OCL), contains the legal rules and principles suited to the cultural and economic requirements of the Sultanate of Oman with particular reference to the conduct of business and trade....Read more
 

An article written by Rory Gilchrist and reproduced with permission from the law business research. This article was first published in getting the Deal Through-Oil Regulation 2009(published in July 2009); contributing editor Craig Spurn-Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP). For further information please visit: www.gettingthedealthrough.com.

Oman is the Middle East’s largest non-OPEC crude oil exporter. Oil is largely an onshore activity. The first concession was granted to the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC) for 75 years and had five shareholders. The government of Oman acquired a 60 per cent shareholding in IPC and renamed it Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). PDO is the national oil exploration and production company of Oman. It accounts for nearly 85 per cent of the country’s crude oil production and nearly all of its natural gas supply. Apart from the government, Royal Dutch Shell has a 34 per cent share, Total has a 4 per cent share and Partex has a 2 per cent share in PDO. Oman’s oil reserves are estimated to be around 5.5 billion barrels and its daily oil production is around 743,000 barrels per day...Read more

Oman’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) has issued a new set of executive regulations to the Capital Market Authority Law (Royal Decree 80/98). The new executive regulations, issued pursuant to the CMA’s Executive Decision 1/2009 (the “New Regulations”) repeal and replace the old executive regulations, which were promulgated in 2001.

Although the New Regulations contain new legislation (including regulations, which deal specifically, for the first time, with credit rating companies) the primary focus of the New Regulations appears to be one of consolidation. From 2001, when the first executive regulations (which are in the nature of delegated legislation issued by the CMA to complement and exemplify the Capital Market Law) were issued, the CMA has issued a number of administrative decisions, which have brought into force regulations dealing with securities, intermediaries, issuers etc., including: ... Read more

An article written by Simon Ward as appeared in The Report: Oman 2009 published by Oxford Business Group 

As the rate of foreign investment, major projects and business deals undertaken in Oman continues to rise, so inevitably the number of commercial disputes increases. For the security of their investments, investors and businesspeople need to know that if things go wrong, there is a stable and reliable legal system operating that will ensure fair treatment and be consistent.... Read more

In addition to broad international expertise and wide-ranging international contacts AMJ has built up, over the past 27 years, a formidable base of experience and knowledge of the laws, practice and court systems of the Sultanate. AMJ is committed to providing clients with timely and practical legal advice tailored to their specific requirements. This commitment to quality service has made it one of the leading firms in Oman, and for the past two years AMJ was awarded the “Best Law Firm in the Sultanate of Oman” by the prestigious Euromoney International Financial Law Review at its Middle East awards ceremony held in Dubai in September 2006 and October 2007... Read more

The issues surrounding mergers
An article written by AMJ as appeared in The Report: Oman 2008 published by Oxford Business Group 

With the continuing buoyancy of Gulf economies, the resulting activity in the capital markets in the region, and the liberalisation of foreign investment in Oman, a number of mergers, acquisitions and initial public offers (IPOs) have taken place following the positive developments that were introduced by the Capital Market Authority (CMA).... Read more
 

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OVERVIEW: CAPITAL MARKETS – PUBLIC OFFERS

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Foreign property ownership in the sultanate is now a possibility
An article written by AMJ as appeared in Emerging Oman 2006 published by Oxford Business Group 

There is a significant and expanding interest in purchasing properties in attractive tourist areas throughout the Gulf region. Dubai has taken the lead in this regard by developing a number of high-end properties, which have attracted worldwide interest. The government of Oman is now taking significant steps to encourage major tourist residential developments in the sultanate. Currently, the most significant of these projects is Blue City, which over the next 15 years will create an entirely new city situated between Muscat and Barka at al-Sawadi. This city will eventually cater.... Read more 

Legal reform goes hand-in-hand with national development
An article written by AMJ as appeared in Emerging Oman 2006 published by Oxford Business Group 

The early 1990s was a period of substantial growth in the sultanate – particularly so for major projects. Suddenly, various privatisation projects, including those of the electricity and water desalination industries, began to strain the Omani legal system, highlighting its shortcomings. Prior to this period, commercial lawyers generally completed their transactions in accordance with the laws. In a sense, they fit their proposals to the existing law. This all changed with the rise of the mega-projects in the 1990s, when it became much more a question of fitting the law.... Read more 

The law protects private placement of foreign securities in Oman
An article written by AMJ as appeared in Emerging Oman 2006 published by Oxford Business Group 

Oman has gradually developed a vibrant equity culture over the past 30 to 35 years, making significant progress from its modest beginnings in the 1970s, when money was raised from the public to finance the country’s fledgling economic projects. Global and regional market intermediaries were quick to spot the Omani investor’s growing appetite for investment, and increasingly began to offer opportunities to invest in foreign securities.... Read more
 

The evolution of legislation in Oman
An article written by AMJ as appeared in Emerging Oman 2006 published by Oxford Business Group 

Shortly after coming to power in 1970, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said realised the urgent need for legislative and legal reform in Oman. During his reign, reform has been a continuous process shaped by the demands of political, social and economic development. In this ongoing process, though, a number of important and distinct phases can be discerned.... Read more