Bank Muscat, the leading financial services provider in the Sultanate of Oman, continues to demonstrate its leadership as one of the top asset managers in the MENA region with Assets Under Management (AUM) of US$ 3.5 billion as of 31st March, 2025. In this context, the Bank is pleased to announce that it has recently been awarded The Best Bank for Alternative Investments at the Euromoney Private Banking Awards 2025.
Speaking on the award, Khalifa Abdullah Al Hatmi, Deputy General Manager – Investment Banking and Capital Markets at Bank Muscat, said: “We are tremendously thrilled at being recognised with the best bank in Oman for offering alternative investment solutions to individual and corporate customers. We thank Euromoney for this prestigious recognition, which stands as a testament to the excellent performance of our Asset Management team and, in specific, to our capabilities in managing Real Estate across asset classes as well as local and regional markets. This recognition also reaffirms the trust of the international financial community in the Bank’s performance and the unparalleled products and sustainable services it provides. We aim to continue developing contemporary and customized solutions to accommodate the unique requirements of our customers by consistently focusing on innovation, agility and customer-centricity in all of our engagements and solutions. We thank all customers for their continuous trust in the services that Bank Muscat is constantly providing.”
Bank Muscat’s Asset Management Department (AMD) has a track record of managing funds and portfolios since 1993. This strong position in the local and regional markets has been achieved due to the solid performance of its funds that are managed by a professional and the most experienced team of fund managers. The Bank, represented through its AMD, offers a wide range of investment solutions covering equities, fixed income, real estate and alternate investments. Real Estate investments is at the core of its expertise with, AMD managing more than US$ 450 million of real estate assets directly in Oman and the GCC region.
Izdihar Real Estate Fund is the flagship real estate fund for investing into income generating real estate assets. Established in December 2015, the Fund is the first REIT in Oman, with an objective to generate sustainable and attractive long term returns to investors. Izdihar has a well-thought-out strategy to structure investments with a view to generate steady income from rentals and provide an upside from capital gains upon exit. Izdihar has over the last 8 years invested into assets worth c. US$ 227 million and is among the larger REITs in Oman, with a diversified portfolio of assets across the country and the wider GCC region. The Fund now manages c.102,000 sqm of leasable space with an average occupancy of 98% across its properties. The Fund has performed well and has distributed average dividends of c.8% p.a. since inception. In addition to Izdihar, Bank Muscat’s AMD currently manages two other funds with AUM in excess of US$ 175 million with investments in Oman and the UAE. The department has also successfully exited and wound down two of its funds managing Real Estate in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the last two years, generating double digit returns to its investors.
