Bank Muscat’s Asset Management is the largest asset manager in Oman and one of the leading asset managers in the GCC region with approximately USD 2.6 billion of assets under management. The business has a long and proven track record of delivering attractive returns since 1994. Bank Muscat Asset Management offers a series of investment solutions across diverse asset classes including equity, fixed income, real estate and private equity investments to retail as well as institutional investors.

Recently, Bank Muscat has enabled online subscription and redemption options for its top performing mutual funds. Thus, retail customers of Bank Muscat can now invest and redeem their investments in Bank Muscat Oryx Fund and Bank Muscat Money Market Fund through the Bank’s Mobile Banking and Internet Banking platforms. These funds are the largest open-end funds listed on Muscat Stock Exchange and they have consistently been offering attractive returns to investors since their inception in 1994 and 2012 respectively.

Bank Muscat Oryx Fund invests in equity securities listed in the GCC region and therefore is suitable for medium to long term investments, whereas Bank Muscat Money Market Fund invests in short term fixed income instruments and therefore is suitable for parking short term liquidity and earn attractive returns for each day the investment continues with the Fund. Hence, investors may choose to invest as per their investment horizon from short term to medium term or long term and earn suitable returns while also ensuring that their investments are liquid i.e. the investments in mutual funds can be sold in return for cash. For reference, investors may choose to sell their investment in Bank Muscat’s funds anytime and receive cash funds in their bank accounts within 1 day for Bank Muscat Money Market Fund and within 3 days for Bank Muscat Oryx Fund.

Therefore, digitalization of mutual fund offerings has significantly eased the process of investment into Bank Muscat’s mutual funds as investors may complete the entire process online from the comfort of their own place without the need to visit any of Bank Muscat branches.

Bank Muscat Oryx Fund: Consistent Performance and remarkable achievements

Bank Muscat Oryx Fund primarily invests in equities securities in the GCC region and has a consistent and proven track record of generating attractive returns for 29 years. The Fund is the second largest fund in the GCC region within its category and it is regulated by the Capital Market Authority as per the applicable laws and regulations in Oman.

Oryx Fund delivered a net return of 20.2% during the first eight months of 2023, outperforming the underlying benchmark by 17.3%. The Fund delivered an average net return of 11.5% per annum over the last 10 years which translates into an aggregate return of 197% over this period, or in other words an amount of RO 10,000 invested in Oryx Fund has grown to approximately RO 29,699 over the last 10 years, consisting of the original investment of RO 10,000 and an investment gain (returns) of RO 19,699. Oryx Fund was awarded the Best Performing Fund in MENA region by Citywire® for the year 2022.

The return delivered by Oryx Fund over the last 10 years is significantly higher than average returns offered by alternatives over the same period like the MSX 30 Index negative 3.3% per annum, S&P GCC Index 2.9% per annum, MSCI Emerging Markets index 0.5% per annum, gold negative 3.1% per annum, Barclays Global Aggregate Bond index 0.6% per annum and term deposits with commercial banks in Oman generally offering varied average interest rates up to 4% to 5% per annum. As such, the Oryx Fund clearly stands out as an attractive investment choice for prospective investors with a medium to long term view.

Bank Muscat Oryx Fund’s performance track record

Period

Bank Muscat Oryx Fund

S&P GCC Composite Index

Outperformance

2023 (first 8 months)

20.2%

2.9%

17.3%

Past 1 Year

9.8% p.a.

-10.3% p.a.

20.1% p.a.

Past 3 Years

23.1% p.a.

10.9% p.a.

12.2% p.a.

Past 10 Years

11.5% p.a.

2.9% p.a

8.6% p.a.

Note: Return over 1-year period is annualized Performance as on August 31, 2023 Data source: Bloomberg and Bank Muscat

Investors can subscribe to the Bank Muscat Oryx Fund with a minimum subscription amount of RO 50. Investors may also choose to invest every month by subscribing to the Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) option.

Bank Muscat Money Market Fund

Bank Muscat Money Market Fund, Oman’s only money market fund, offers an opportunity for investors to invest their short-term cash surpluses at an attractive rate of return. The Fund is the largest open-end fund in Oman and it is regulated by the Capital Market Authority as per the applicable laws and regulations in Oman.

The Fund primarily invests in bank deposits in the GCC region and short-term fixed income instruments of high-quality issuers (i.e. banks, government and government owned entities) in the GCC region. Accordingly, the investment in this Fund is characterized as low risk while offering an attractive return proposition to investors.

The current rate of return offered by the Fund is 4.8% p.a. as on September 12, 2023. This return provided by the Fund is accrued to investors on a daily basis and is added to the amounts invested by them at the end of each day. Thus, investors earn their returns for each day of their investment starting from the date of their investment until the date of redemption. Further, there is no minimum investment period in this fund. Therefore, in case they wish to withdraw their investment within a few days, the investors are allowed to redeem from the Fund. The growth in the Fund’s assets over the past few years demonstrates its growing popularity among investors, supported by its return profile and excellent service standards.

Investors can subscribe to Bank Muscat Money Market Fund with a minimum subscription amount as low as RO 500 per investor. Further, the Fund does not charge any entry or exit fee to investors and has a proven track record of performance.

Bank Muscat Money Market Fund’s performance track record

Period

Annualized Return

Past 1 Month

4.91% p.a.

Past 3 Month

4.75% p.a.

Past 6 Month

4.63% p.a.

Past 12 Months

4.22% p.a.

​​Performance as on August 31, 2023

The returns delivered by the Fund are relatively attractive considering the short to medium tenor of investments.

Bank Muscat Oryx Fund and Bank Muscat Money Market Fund offer daily liquidity with no minimum or maximum holding period. Bank Muscat’s mutual funds’ net asset value (NAV) are published on a daily basis on Bank Muscat website and on Muscat Stock Exchange website, so that investors can track the value of their investments on a daily basis. Interested investors may contact the Fund’s Investor Servicing Desk through .

Please refer to the prospectus of Bank Muscat Oryx Fund and Bank Muscat Money Market Fund available on www.bankmuscat.com to understand the Fund’s details including key terms and conditions. Investors are also requested to refer to the key risk factors highlighted in the prospectus. It should also be noted that the mutual fund returns are subjected to market performance, and past performance does not guarantee future performance. The information highlighted above is for information purpose and is intended as a tool to help investors manage their investments.

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