Muscat, Sultanate of OmanMay 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, Sohar International Bank and eWTP Arabia Capital formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Oman, aiming to combine eWTP Arabia Capital’s Asia-Gulf cross-border investment network with Sohar International Bank’s local banking capabilities to help enterprises more effectively facilitate cross-border business flows. The cooperation is expected to generate over $1 billion in financial collaboration and market opportunities.
Signing Ceremony of eWTP Arabia Capital and Sohar International Bank
The cooperation will initially prioritize eWTP Arabia Capital’s portfolio companies and ecosystem partners. eWTP Arabia Capital will be responsible for connecting enterprise needs and providing industry implementation experience, while Sohar International Bank will offer financial services such as trade settlement, project financing, and local fund management. The two parties will bridge gaps through corporate financing, project financing, trade financing, private credit, and structured financing, while exploring areas such as logistics, industrial assets, and income-generating real estate to help Chinese enterprises expanding into the Middle East address practical challenges in cross-border implementation.
The choice to implement this cooperation in Oman is no coincidence. Oman faces the Arabian Sea and connects to Indian Ocean shipping routes, with ports such as Sohar, Duqm, and Salalah located outside the Strait of Hormuz, offering natural logistical substitution advantages when regional channel risks rise. Additionally, Oman has long maintained political stability and neutral diplomacy, and through the U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the Pan-Arab Free Trade Area, and GCC market connectivity, it provides an open trade environment for cross-border enterprises. As Oman attracts foreign investment and builds industrial clusters through its ports, free zones, and industrial parks, its value as a stable node and regional platform for Chinese enterprises entering the Middle East market is becoming increasingly prominent.
Since 2023, eWTP Arabia Capital has been proactively deploying in Oman. In 2024, the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), together with the Oman Future Fund, invested $150 million as a cornerstone investor in eWTP Arabia Capital’s U.S. dollar fund, with both parties focusing on advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, and biomedical industries. Later that year, eWTP Arabia Capital invested in the United Solar Polysilicon project in Sohar, Oman, with a total investment of $1.6 billion. In November 2025, eWTP Arabia Capital established its second office in the Middle East in Muscat, the capital of Oman, adjacent to the Oman Investment Authority and core institutions.
As more Chinese enterprises enter the Gulf region, cross-border business is evolving from early-stage market expansion to a new phase involving supply chain implementation, project construction, local operations, and long-term financing. The financial support required by enterprises is becoming more diverse, extending beyond account opening, settlement, or basic trade services to encompass more comprehensive scenarios such as cross-border supply chain finance, local operational financing, project financing, structured financing, and multi-currency fund management.
In this process, many Chinese enterprises entering or expanding in the Gulf market—especially mid-sized companies—still face practical challenges such as limited local financing channels, complex cross-border credit assessments, and difficulties in arranging project funds. Compared to large local enterprises, government projects, or established corporate clients, these companies, despite having genuine business needs, order bases, and growth potential, often struggle to obtain financial support commensurate with their development stage within the local financing system.
Meanwhile, the Gulf region still has room for further development in areas such as cross-border supply chain finance, local financing for foreign enterprises, and infrastructure and industrial project financing. Chinese enterprises possess strong execution capabilities in equipment, engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and industrial park construction. However, as projects are implemented locally, banks need to provide deeper involvement in financing arrangements, risk sharing, cash flow management, and long-term capital support. How to more effectively connect Chinese enterprises’ industrial resources with the Gulf region’s local financial capabilities and project implementation needs is becoming a key market focus.
In April 2026, Sohar International Bank received approval from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to establish its first overseas representative office. In May 2024, eWTP Arabia Capital opened an office in Hong Kong. The cooperation between the two parties will extend from Oman to Hong Kong and further connect with the Chinese market.
Jerry Li, Founder and Managing Partner of eWTP Arabia Capital, stated: “Our cooperation with Sohar International Bank strengthens eWTP Arabia Capital’s local financial cooperation platform in Oman. By combining Sohar International Bank’s banking capabilities with eWTP Arabia Capital’s Asia-Gulf investment network, we can better support our portfolio companies, ecosystem partners, and industrial projects, while helping Oman’s financial ecosystem engage more deeply in Asia-Gulf commercial flows.”
Abdulwahid Mohammed Al Murshidi, CEO of Sohar International Bank, stated: “We are delighted to reach this strategic cooperation with eWTP Arabia Capital. It reflects our shared vision of strengthening financial connectivity between Oman, the broader Gulf region, and Asia. Through this collaboration, we will jointly support enterprises, industrial projects, trade flows, and cross-border investment opportunities, while reinforcing Oman’s role as a regional financial and commercial connectivity platform.”