As part of the action plan lined up to promote students’ exposure to the industry, the Department of Business Studies of Ibra College of Technology organized an industrial visit to Omani Securities Association and Global Financial Securities, one of Oman’s leading brokerage investment firms, on November 19, 2019.

The visit is designed to help students gather practical industry experience relevant to their chosen field of specialization. The visiting group is composed of 21 business students taking up Portfolio Management and Financial Institutions and Services.

A series of talk was lined up for the students orchestrated by Mr. Rashid Ali Al Hasana, Global Financial Securities brokerage manager. Mr. Rashid made an introduction about the company, history, organizational structure, role of the company in the securities market and its core business model. His talk is centered on the importance of investing particularly in the securities market of Oman. However, due diligence must be done to mitigate risk which is inherent in every investment. Volatility of security prices depends on many factors, one way to manage risk is portfolio diversification, he added. Investment strategies and portfolio management are the major takeaway from his talk.

Mechanics of trading are the topics discussed by Mr. Fahad Ali Al Hinai, stockbroker. He specifies the requirements and qualifications to earn a brokerage credential. Ms. Amna Al Darmki, back office support, explains the process of opening an account and brokerage fees. The whole day visit concluded with the talk by Mr. Issa Moosa Al Maimani, Administration Manager of Omani Securities Association. He discussed the association’s goals, vision and direction which lays the foundation of a strong Omani capital market sector.