About Muscat Securities Market

The Muscat Securities Market (MSM) was established in May 1989 under a Royal decree that set the legal framework for the establishment of the market as an independent organization to regulate and Control the Omani securities market. However, inorder to segregate the regulatory authority from the exchange, the Market was restructured in 1999, through the Capital Market Law that provided for the establishment of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) as a separate entity.

The CMA is responsible for the supervision of both the MSM where all listed shares are traded and the Muscat Depository and Registration of Securities Company (MDRSC), which is the sole provider in Oman of the registration and transfer of ownership of securities, as well as the safekeeping of the ownership documents.
The MSM is divided into the Regular, Parallel and Third Markets. The Regular Market has strict listing requirements and companies must have a history of profitability to be listed on it., while the parallel Market has easier listing requirements.

Electronic screen based trading was introduced in the second half of 1998. This has produced faster and more accurate share registration, settlement, clearance and transfer functions and has brought MSM into line with other major stock exchanges.

MSM is considered as the one of the highest regulated markets in the region, with strict rules and regulations laid out to check any malpractice or insider trading. Companies are required to conform on extensive disclosure norms to ensure maximum transparency. Listed companies are required to publish quarterly financial results, prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standards.