A Critical and Analytical Assessment of the 2019 Reformation of the Foreign Investment Regulatory Framework of Oman

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the recent reformation of the foreign investment regulatory environment that was introduced by the Foreign Capital Investment Law of Oman (Royal Decree No. 51/2019) and its Executive Regulation (Ministerial Decision No. 72/2020) with the aim of boosting foreign direct investment (FDI) in Oman. This examination focuses on the texts of the current Foreign Capital Investment Law and its Executive Regulation and analyses the provisions that, in the author’s view, will have a direct impact on the foreign investment sector in Oman. Furthermore, these provisions are contrasted with their counterparts in the former Foreign Capital Investment Law (Royal Decree No. 102/1994) to highlight their strengths and weaknesses. Based on this analysis, the article proposes a set of recommendations to address a number of issues with the current foreign investment regulatory framework with the aim of achieving regulatory clarity and enhancement concerning the framework’s scope of application.