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Notify strategy with evidence: Use independent data on market confidence, development, and client need to direct your tactical instructions. Validate financial investment plans: Ensure resource allotment and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up positive choices: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach arrangement quickly and take definitive action.
1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA between the GCC and the UK is a Significant Strategic Chance to Elevate Economic Relations to New Horizons," October 20252 GCC, "Joint Statement on Economic Cooperation In Between the Association of the Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," Might 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Passage (IMEC) Progress Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA program reinforces worldwide financial ties with 26 strategic agreements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign open market pact 'very soon'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA prepares to a minimum of double yearly United States financial investments over next years," May 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE investments in Africa position country as world's fourth-largest investor," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Truth Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards across Africa are going into a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Scrutiny is greater. Danger is more interconnected. And the quality of boardroom judgment will progressively figure out which organisations sustain growth and which fall behind. In response, Ascent Club, a presence launchpad curating access and opportunities for board- and C-level females, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is launching a brand-new month-to-month boardroom dialogue convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and business leadership and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session brings together board professionals to examine the genuine pressures forming board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Threats and Concerns Forming 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Developing regulative and governance expectations Technology disruption and cyber strength Long-term worth development and sustainability imperatives Leadership decisions boards need to prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent members and speakers consist of: Mediator Nnoli Akpedeye MD/CEO, Contego Servo Limited Speakers Sarah Ajose-Adeogun Managing Partner, Teasoo Consulting Ochanya R.
Deborah David CFO, Powergas It is an assembling of executives contributing directly to governance, threat oversight, and tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are deliberately developing a recurring forum that surfaces board-level insight, amplifies trustworthy female governance voices, and expands access to the tactical thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
4 March 2026 6:00 PM WAT Zoom Register to sign up with the conversation. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the current insights, patterns, and strategies provided directly to your inbox. Sign up with Everest Group's newsletter to stay at the forefront of what's next.
The GCC ETF market gone into Q1 2026 in a consolidation phase, with activity remaining raised but development slowing down. Overall properties held broadly constant over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued rearranging and as a response to geopolitical news instead of a meaningful brand-new capital release. Global macro conditions set a challenging backdrop.
The GCC ETF universe consisted of 39 ETFs with an overall AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Efficiency throughout the market was broadly negative, with just 13 ETFs delivering favorable returns compared to 26 in decrease. In general, the information shows a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of items.
How to Browse the Cultural Nuances of Saudi EntryEfficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, rather than broad market strength. The leading ETFs were focused in specific nation exposures and commodities, especially Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were resistant during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil exposure supported its local market, with Aramco reaching new highs in the middle of higher oil costs, in addition to its continued capability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which stays open.
Egypt provided strong efficiency in January and February. Despite a market pullback in March due to the war, both Egypt's market and its ETFs still published positive returns for the quarter. The continuous Middle East dispute and resulting energy shock have actually reshaped the outlook for emerging market equities between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector also faced wider macro headwinds, including a more mindful policy backdrop in China and international risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical tensions and higher energy rates. Thematic ETFs likewise struggled for the many part, especially those connected to carbon and high-growth technology, as assessment pressures and worldwide rate characteristics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF significantly exceeded. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, reflecting selective allowance rather than broad market involvement. In spite of weak efficiency, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of items attracting brand-new capital. This shows that financiers were targeting particular direct exposures, while reducing or turning out of others.
Trading activity stayed stable, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of bigger and more liquid ETFs. Many activity appears to have happened in the secondary market, allowing investors to change positions without significant main developments or redemptions. While current geopolitical events have actually resulted in more monetary pressure on GCC countries, the area remains durable and well capitalized to deal with the circumstance.
In January, Boreas launched its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a niche thematic exposure focused on worldwide luxury and customer brands. 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 release in April pending a last approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 showed some progress associating with ETFs in the GCC. We expect more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the conflict has affected belief and rates throughout the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in regional assets.
Regardless of continuous geopolitical tensions and security dangers across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to show durability, preserving positive growth momentum in the last few years. While disputes in the broader region and worldwide financial unpredictability remain a structural restraint, GCC countries have actually up until now limited their effect on domestic economic efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and continual investment.
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