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Notify strategy with proof: Use independent data on market self-confidence, development, and customer need to guide your tactical instructions. Validate financial investment strategies: Ensure resource allotment and initiatives are backed by credible market insight. Accelerate confident choices: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach contract quickly and take decisive action.
1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA between the GCC and the UK is a Major Strategic Chance to Elevate Economic Relations to New Horizons," October 20252 GCC, "Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation Between the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," Might 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) Development Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA programme enhances international financial ties with 26 strategic agreements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign complimentary trade pact 'soon'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA prepares to at least double annual US financial investments over next decade," Might 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE financial investments in Africa position nation as world's fourth-largest investor," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Truth Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards throughout Africa are going into a defining cycle. Capital is tighter. Examination is higher. Threat is more interconnected. And the quality of boardroom judgment will increasingly determine which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In reaction, Ascent Club, a visibility launchpad curating gain access to and opportunities for board- and C-level females, in cooperation with BusinessDay, is releasing a brand-new month-to-month conference room discussion convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and corporate leadership and who are members of Climb Club.
This inaugural session combines board professionals to analyze the genuine pressures shaping board agendas today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Risks and Priorities Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Developing regulatory and governance expectations Technology disruption and cyber strength Long-term worth development and sustainability imperatives Leadership decisions boards should prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent members and speakers include: Mediator Nnoli Akpedeye MD/CEO, Contego Servo Limited Speakers Sarah Ajose-Adeogun Handling Partner, Teasoo Consulting Ochanya R.
Deborah David CFO, Powergas It is a convening of executives contributing straight to governance, risk oversight, and tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Climb Club and BusinessDay are deliberately developing a recurring forum that surfaces board-level insight, magnifies reliable female governance voices, and expands access to the strategic thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
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Overall properties held broadly steady over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued rearranging and as a response to geopolitical news rather than a significant brand-new capital deployment. Global macro conditions set a challenging backdrop.
The result was a quarter specified by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional pattern. Oil related assets succeeded for the a lot of part. On the positive side, in January, the Boreas Outright Luxury ETF released on ADX to include more thematic ETFs. Also in Q1, two more Kraneshares have been authorized for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and are about to be authorized by the Abu Dhabi Stock Market (ADX). The GCC ETF universe made up 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Performance across the market was broadly unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs providing positive returns compared to 26 in decline. Overall, the data shows a market that is active however narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of items.
Comparing Legacy Systems and Future Economic StrategiesEfficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of distinctive winners, instead of broad market strength. The leading ETFs were focused in particular country direct exposures and products, particularly Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were resistant during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil exposure supported its regional market, with Aramco reaching brand-new highs amid greater oil rates, in addition to its continued ability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which remains open.
Egypt provided strong efficiency in January and February. In spite of a market pullback in March due to the war, both Egypt's market and its ETFs still published favorable returns for the quarter. The continuous Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock have actually reshaped the outlook for emerging market equities in between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector also faced wider macro headwinds, consisting of a more mindful policy backdrop in China and international risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy costs. Thematic ETFs Had a hard time for the most part, particularly those connected to carbon and high-growth innovation, as appraisal pressures and worldwide rate characteristics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF substantially surpassed. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely concentrated, showing selective allotment rather than broad market participation. In spite of weak performance, ETFs recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with just a little number of products bring in brand-new capital. This shows that investors were targeting specific exposures, while minimizing or turning out of others.
Trading activity remained stable, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. Many activity appears to have taken place in the secondary market, allowing financiers to adjust positions without significant main productions or redemptions. While recent geopolitical events have actually led to more monetary pressure on GCC countries, the region stays resilient and well capitalized to deal with the circumstance.
In January, Boreas launched its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, adding a specific niche thematic direct exposure concentrated on worldwide luxury and consumer brand names. Momentum continued into April with the approval of KraneShares AGIX and KWIN ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX. These funds are expected to introduce in April pending a last approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some development connecting to ETFs in the GCC. We expect more worldwide and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the conflict has actually affected belief and rates during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in regional assets.
In spite of continuous geopolitical stress and security risks throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to demonstrate durability, preserving favorable development momentum in recent years. While disputes in the broader area and global economic unpredictability stay a structural restriction, GCC nations have actually so far restricted their impact on domestic economic efficiency through strong financial positions, policy continuity, and continual investment.
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