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Sohar International announced in a press release distributed via Media OutReach Newswire that it officially opened its Asia Pacific Office in Hong Kong on September 10. The launch marks the first time an Omani bank has established a presence in the city as well as the bank’s initial foothold in the Asia Pacific region. Senior representatives from Oman and Hong Kong attended the opening ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which included the bank’s chairman Said Mohamed Al-Aufi and Omani Ambassador-at-Large Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Zaher Al Hinai.
The office opening aligned with the bank’s participation in the 11th Belt and Road Summit, where it signed separate memoranda of understanding with E Fund Management (Hong Kong) and Templewater Hong Kong Limited. The partnership with E Fund HK positions Sohar International as the Chinese asset manager’s exclusive partner in Oman, allowing the bank to market its investment products through its asset management and origination businesses while E Fund HK introduces the bank’s offerings to clients across China. The reciprocal arrangement aims to expand access to international opportunities for eligible clients on both sides.
Under the framework with Templewater, an Asia- and GCC-focused alternative asset manager with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Muscat, the two sides will explore investment opportunities, co-investments, project-financing deals and banking services for Templewater portfolio companies operating in Oman. The agreement also provides Sohar International and its clients with access to Templewater’s sector expertise spanning artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, robotics, intelligent manufacturing, semiconductors, advanced materials, mobility and energy-transition technologies. Templewater’s existing footprint in Muscat supports the practical implementation of these cross-border activities.
Sohar International secured approval from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in April 2026 to open the office, followed by final clearance from the Central Bank of Oman the next month, according to the bank’s statement. The new presence serves as a platform to strengthen institutional relationships, improve market understanding in Asia and create channels for two-way investment and trade between Oman, the wider GCC and Asian economies. The bank noted that Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre with deep links to mainland China made it the preferred location for this expansion.
This step continues Sohar International’s international growth, which has already included entry into the Saudi market to broaden its regional reach. The bank ranks as Oman’s second-largest by total assets and its fastest-growing financial institution, per details in its own corporate announcements. The Hong Kong office will connect Omani companies with Asian investors while helping attract capital and partnerships back to the Sultanate.
Invest Hong Kong supported the bank’s establishment process in the city, as stated in the press release detailing the launch. The timing coincides with heightened engagement under the Belt and Road framework, which has drawn increased Chinese and Asian interest toward Omani projects in recent years. The combined initiatives reflect sustained efforts to position Oman as a hub linking Asian capital with GCC opportunities.
