KUALA LUMPUR / MUSCAT, 10 September 2025 — In a fresh push to deepen financial ties between ASEAN and the GCC, Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of Oman have entered a two-year collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing capital market development through capacity building, knowledge sharing, and mutual promotion of their investment destinations.
The agreement was formalised in Muscat during a ceremony attended by SC Chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi and FSA Executive President Abdullah Salim Al-Salmi. As part of the partnership, Omani regulators will participate in the SC-managed Young Regulators Development Programme, established in collaboration with Durham University in the UK.
Under the programme, both regulators aim to engage in in-depth dialogue and exchange best practices across surveillance, enforcement, and policy frameworks that support both conventional and Islamic capital markets, said Datuk Faiz, reinforcing the alignment of Malaysia’s Capital Market Masterplan 4 with Oman’s broader financial strategy.
Observers say the partnership comes as Malaysia seeks to bolster its capital market’s global standing, particularly its role as one of the world’s most developed Islamic finance hubs—where Shariah-compliant instruments account for a significant share of its US$1 trillion market, and nearly 80% of listed companies adhere to Islamic principles.
For Oman, the initiative complements its Vision 2040 development agenda and supports expansion of the Muscat Stock Exchange and institutional capacity in Islamic banking and capital markets. Together, the two countries are crafting a resilient ASEAN-GCC capital market bridge—one that integrates capital, regulatory talent and shared innovation across global financial corridors.
