The Inaugural Oman Islamic Finance Sustainability and ESG Forum 2026 was held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, focusing on the convergence of Shariah-compliant finance, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks, cross-border investment cooperation, and the deepening economic partnership between Russia and Oman.

Damir Galiev, Director of the Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan (IVF RT), participated in the forum to showcase the republic’s innovation ecosystem and outline strategic international partnerships across technology verticals, sustainable development, and Islamic finance. His address detailed how Tatarstan and Oman can build cooperative pipelines aligned with long term macroeconomic growth and the global Islamic financial architecture.

The forum's primary thematic pillars included:

● Advancing Islamic finance mechanisms and backing Oman's strategic initiatives under its Vision 2040 framework.

● Deploying ESG metrics and sustainable development strategies across emerging industries.

● Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and fintech into corporate banking structures.

● Expanding the agrifood sector and Halal industry logistics.

● Underwriting joint investment and critical infrastructure projects.

● Strengthening international trade routes and bilateral technology transfer.

A key highlight of the presentation was the case study of Russia's first quasi - sovereign Sukuk (Islamic bond) issuance, which served as a landmark institutional milestone for Islamic capital markets in Russia and Tatarstan. Galiev also shared the operational success of IVF RT’s portfolio company, Ijara Leasing (ООО «Иджара-Лизинг»), which issued the inaugural domestic corporate Sukuk and subsequently closed a 100 million ruble strategic financing facility with Sber.

Solidifying its institutional presence in the region, IVF RT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA, Bahrain). The agreement mandates collaboration to scale the Islamic financial ecosystem in Tatarstan, introduce standardized Islamic credit rating and analytical frameworks, enhance the region's asset-attractiveness for foreign Islamic institutional investors, facilitate knowledge-sharing, and build specialized educational programs to anchor ties with global Islamic financial markets.

Additionally, IVF RT concluded a strategic cooperation agreement with Panacea Consulting (Bahrain). Under this framework, the advisory firm will provide specialized structuring and compliance consulting for Islamic financial instruments, while jointly organizing high level corporate events and managing institutional representation across the region.