Saturday 12 / September / 2026
Muscat: Oman Investment Authority (OIA) has signed an investment agreement in partnership with Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Commission and China-based Templewater. Under the agreement, OIA will commit 25% of Templewater Innovation Fund’s capital, with the Fund allocating 50% of its total capital to investments in a range of promising sectors in the Sultanate of Oman.
The agreement reinforces OIA’s Omani Angle, an approach adopted across its international investments to maximise their impact on the national economy and generate benefits beyond financial returns. These include attracting investments and technologies, facilitating knowledge and expertise transfer, and opening new markets and opportunities for Omani companies. The agreement also adds to OIA’s investments in innovation and technology ecosystem in the Sultanate of Oman.
Signed as part of OIA’s participation in the Belt and Road Summit 2026, hosted in Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China, the agreement reflects OIA’s approach to leveraging its international investments to create added value for the national economy.
OIA’s commitment to the Fund is matched by an allocation twice that size for investment in the Sultanate of Oman, helping attract capital, companies and technologies to local sectors, facilitate knowledge transfer, build partnerships and open new markets, while supporting economic diversification objectives.
The agreement falls under Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Venture Fund programme, through which the Innovation and Technology Commission is establishing Templewater Innovation Fund in collaboration with Templewater.
The Fund will invest in promising innovation and technology companies, supporting their growth and expansion while focusing on a range of future-oriented sectors, including advanced manufacturing, new energy, artificial intelligence and data science, and health and life sciences.
These sectors align with OIA’s approach to diversifying its investments and expanding into emerging sectors associated with technology and innovation, creating opportunities to attract international companies and technologies and connect them with investment and economic opportunities in the Sultanate of Oman.
Muneer bin Ali Al Muneeri, Deputy President for Operations at Oman Investment Authority, said that OIA seeks to leverage its international investments to create value that extends beyond financial returns, an approach embodied by the Omani Angle. This involves connecting global investment opportunities with the needs of the national economy and attracting capital, technologies, expertise and partnerships to the Sultanate of Oman, thereby multiplying the targeted impact of OIA’s investments and creating new opportunities in the innovation and technology sectors.
He added that, through this agreement, OIA looks forward to benefiting from the innovation and technology ecosystem in Hong Kong in particular and China more broadly, while connecting promising companies in these markets with opportunities available in the Sultanate of Oman. The agreement will also enable Omani companies and OIA companies to access technologies, expertise, partners and new markets, supporting economic diversification and reinforcing Oman’s position as an attractive destination for technology investments.
Cliff Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Templewater, said: “Our partnership with Oman Investment Authority represents an important step towards connecting capital, innovation and industrial expertise with opportunities between Hong Kong and the Sultanate of Oman. We see Oman as a promising environment for technology companies to grow and expand into regional markets. Through the Templewater Innovation Fund, we will support high-potential companies and create opportunities that facilitate technology transfer, build partnerships and generate sustainable economic value.”
The agreement further strengthens OIA’s presence within the global innovation and technology ecosystem by providing a platform that connects promising technology companies in Hong Kong and China with opportunities in the Sultanate of Oman.
This will enable them to explore Oman as a destination for growth and expansion and as a gateway to regional markets. In parallel, the agreement will provide Omani companies and OIA companies with opportunities to collaborate with international partners and benefit from the technologies and expertise developed by the targeted companies.
This approach also extends OIA’s focus on future-oriented and technology-driven sectors and strengthens the integration between its international investments and local investment opportunities, supporting technology and knowledge transfer, capability development, and the establishment of commercial and investment partnerships that create added value for the national economy.
The agreement also forms part of broader efforts to strengthen investment and economic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the People’s Republic of China under the Belt and Road Initiative, while leveraging Hong Kong’s position as a financial and investment hub connecting Asian markets with regional and international markets, alongside Oman’s strategic location and the access it provides to regional markets.
The enhanced Innovation and Technology Venture Fund Programme is a government initiative launched by Hong Kong and administered by its Innovation and Technology Commission.
It aims to mobilise private capital to support the ecosystem of start-ups operating in innovation and technology sectors. Templewater was selected as a fund manager under the Enhanced Programme, leveraging its investment and sector expertise, as well as its institutional and industrial network, to support the growth and expansion of these partnerships and transform their technological potential into sustainable commercial opportunities.
It is worth noting that the participation of OIA at the Belt and Road Summit 2026 was part of an Omani delegation headed by Muneer bin Ali Al Muneeri, Deputy President for Operations at OIA.
The delegation included a number of CEOs of OIA’s companies, as well as representatives from the Future Fund Oman, affiliated with OIA, International Financial Centre of Oman, Muscat Stock Exchange, Sohar International Bank, and a number of joint funds overseen by OIA. During its meetings and engagements at the Summit, the delegation explored opportunities for partnership and cooperation, reflecting OIA’s efforts to strengthen its international investment presence, diversify its investments across future-oriented sectors, and maximise the Omani Angle of its overseas investments.
These efforts also seek to expand its network of international partnerships with the aim of generating sustainable returns and creating economic opportunities and value for the Sultanate of Oman.
