Oman's SWF Says Total Assets Reach $46.61 bln in 2022

More than 800 jobs have been created for Omanis in the agency and its subsidiaries (Oman News Agency)
More than 800 jobs have been created for Omanis in the agency and its subsidiaries (Oman News Agency)
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Oman's SWF Says Total Assets Reach $46.61 bln in 2022

More than 800 jobs have been created for Omanis in the agency and its subsidiaries (Oman News Agency)
More than 800 jobs have been created for Omanis in the agency and its subsidiaries (Oman News Agency)

Total assets at Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, the Oman Investment Authority, reached 17.9 billion rials ($46.6 billion) in 2022, the fund said in its annual report on Wednesday.

The OIA said its return on investment last year was 8.8%, and it added that it has contributed more than 5 billion riyals to the finance ministry in dividends to support the general budget.

Among its major assets, the OIA wholly owns Oman’s main energy holding company OQ, created to centralize the state’s oil and gas investments, Reuters reported.

OQ’s 2022 revenue was up 68% on the previous year, leading to a 100% increase in net profit last year, the fund wrote in the report, without providing further financial details.

The OIA said in December it aimed to spend 1.9 billion rials on investment projects in 2023.

It has recently partnered with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, to jointly invest in Oman’s economy.



Dollar and Other Safe Havens Rise as Israel Strikes Iran

US dollar banknotes are seen in this photo illustration taken February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/Illustration/File Photo
US dollar banknotes are seen in this photo illustration taken February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/Illustration/File Photo
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Dollar and Other Safe Havens Rise as Israel Strikes Iran

US dollar banknotes are seen in this photo illustration taken February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/Illustration/File Photo
US dollar banknotes are seen in this photo illustration taken February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/Illustration/File Photo

The US dollar rallied alongside the safe-haven Japanese yen and Swiss franc, with currency markets abruptly reversing direction on news Israel had launched strikes on Iran.

Israel has begun carrying out strikes on Iran, two US officials told Reuters, adding that there was no US assistance or involvement in the operation. Another report suggested that explosions were heard northeast of Iran's capital Tehran.

An index that measures the dollar against six other currencies gained 0.4%, and was last at 98.07, in early Asia trading.

Against the yen, the dollar slipped 0.35% to 143 per dollar , while the Swiss franc tumbled 0.39% to 0.807 per dollar.

Risk-sensitive Asian currencies such as the Aussie dollar and the New Zealand dollar weakened 0.9% each, Reuters reported.

Earlier in the week, the dollar index hit multi-year lows as investors were not impressed by a US-China trade truce, while cooler-than-expected inflation data fuelled expectations of more aggressive interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

The dollar is on track for weekly declines against the yen, the Swiss franc and the euro.

Crude prices jumped more than $4 on the news as investors priced in potential supply disruptions from the oil-rich region, while gold prices climbed 0.8% to their strongest since early May.