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A new law issued by Royal Decree 2/2018 in January, established a dedicated competition regulator for Oman named the Competition Protection and Monopoly Prevention Centre (the CPMP Centre).

Oman’s Competition and Anti-Monopoly Law (the Competition Law), issued in 2014, had originally tasked Oman’s consumer watchdog, the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP), with issuing implementing regulations to clarify matters such as asset/turnover/market share-based thresholds for merger control filings.

However no regulations were issued during the PACP’s tenure as competition regulator and responsibility has now been transferred to the new CPMP Centre. Companies contemplating mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures in Oman, or which have an effect on a relevant market in Oman, and which may be notifiable under the Competition Law, would be well-advised to consult closely with the CPMP Centre until such time as detailed regulations have been issued.

For more on the rules governing notifiable deals creating a dominant position under Oman’s Competition Law, or otherwise notifiable to other sector-specific regulators, contact Mansoor Malik or Ardeshir Patel.