Sohar International Opens Applications for New Fintech Hub

A new door has opened for Oman's fintech builders. On August 18, 2026, Sohar International announced a strategic partnership with Terminal 11, the innovation hub backed by the Oman Investment Authority's Future Fund Oman, to launch a dedicated space for fintech founders, startup entrepreneurs and technology innovators inside the hub, with applications now open.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Sohar International signed a strategic partnership with Terminal 11 to establish "Sohar | Innovation Hub," a co-creation space for fintech ventures, according to Muscat Daily.
• Applications are open now for fintech founders, startup entrepreneurs and technology innovators, as TechAfrica News reported.
• The hub will provide banking enablement, regulatory guidance, financial infrastructure access and investor connections, spanning early-stage startups through growth-stage fintechs.
• The agreement was signed by Sohar International CEO Abdulwahid Al Murshidi and Terminal 11 CEO Abdullah Al Badi.
• It builds on Terminal 11's move to join the Cambridge Innovation Center's Global Network, announced in Oman Observer, which links Oman's startup ecosystem to nine international innovation hubs.

🤝 What Was Announced

Sohar International and Terminal 11 signed their strategic partnership agreement at the bank's headquarters, with executive management from both organisations present, according to Muscat Daily. Through the agreement, the bank is setting up "Sohar | Innovation Hub" as a physical presence inside Terminal 11, aimed at giving fintech ventures the banking enablement, strategic partnerships and institutional support needed to turn ideas into market-ready products.

"The competitiveness of economies will increasingly depend on their ability to foster innovation, encourage collaboration and create enabling ecosystems where ideas can develop into scalable businesses," Al Murshidi said, as quoted by Muscat Daily. He added that the partnership supports Oman's Vision 2040 ambition to become "a regional centre for innovation and digital finance."

🏦 What the Hub Actually Offers

According to details reported by TechAfrica News, the hub's support package includes:

• Expert guidance on product development from the bank's own teams
• Tailored banking solutions to help ventures scale
• Direct access to regulators and potential investors
• Strategic partnership connections across Terminal 11's network
• Support that spans early-stage startups through growth-stage fintechs, not just seed-level ideas

Neither the bank nor Terminal 11 has disclosed a specific funding pool, cohort size or application deadline for the programme, so founders interested in joining should treat applications as rolling until an official cutoff is announced. Contact Terminal 11 or Sohar International directly for the current application status and criteria.

🌍 Terminal 11's Bigger Bet

The Sohar partnership lands weeks after Terminal 11, which operates out of Muscat Grand Mall's Tilal Complex and is an investment of the Oman Investment Authority's Future Fund Oman, joined the Cambridge Innovation Center's Global Network. As Oman Observer reported, the arrangement followed a Master Services Agreement signed in December 2025 and a four-month advisory phase on physical space design and operations, giving Terminal 11 access to CIC's network across nine cities including Cambridge, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo and Seoul.

"Our work with Terminal 11 has focused on transferring knowledge needed to launch a world-class innovation hub," CIC Partner Dougan Sherwood said in the same report. Terminal 11 founder and managing director Abdullah Al Badi added that the tie-up gives Omani startups "direct access to one of the world's most advanced innovation communities."

Sohar International is not the only bank betting on Oman's startup infrastructure this year. National Bank of Oman ran its second fintech accelerator cohort earlier in 2026, and MCBS's InnovationX unit hosted a Techstars Startup Weekend focused on fintech in Muscat just days before the Sohar-Terminal 11 announcement. Together, these moves suggest Oman's financial institutions are increasingly treating fintech support as core infrastructure rather than a one-off sponsorship.

📝 How to Apply

Fintech founders, startup entrepreneurs and technology innovators can express interest through Terminal 11's channels or Sohar International's corporate communications. For a broader look at what else is currently open to applicants, see our recent roundup of startup and AI programmes open in Oman this fall.

🇴🇲 Why This Matters for Oman

Oman's banking sector already runs on a heavily Omanised workforce, a foundation covered by OmanVision2040 that gives local fintech founders a pool of experienced talent to draw on as they scale. A dedicated bank-backed hub inside an OIA-linked facility with global CIC ties gives Omani fintech founders something they have lacked: a single address that combines regulatory access, banking infrastructure and international network reach. If the hub delivers real product launches and not just co-working desks, it could become a template other Omani banks replicate, deepening the private-sector layer beneath Vision 2040's digital finance ambitions.