All Categories
Featured
Table of Contents
Inform strategy with proof: Usage independent information on market self-confidence, development, and customer need to assist your strategic instructions. Confirm financial investment strategies: Ensure resource allocation and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up confident decisions: Gear up members of your executive team 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 Significant Strategic Chance to Elevate Economic Relations to New Horizons," October 20252 GCC, "Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation In Between the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," May 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Passage (IMEC) Development Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA programme strengthens global financial ties with 26 tactical arrangements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign open market pact 'soon'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA plans to a minimum of double yearly US investments over next years," May 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE investments in Africa position nation as world's fourth-largest investor," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Truth Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards across Africa are entering a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Analysis is higher. Threat is more interconnected. And the quality of boardroom judgment will progressively identify which organisations sustain growth and which fall back. In reaction, Ascent Club, a visibility launchpad curating gain access to and chances for board- and C-level women, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is introducing a brand-new month-to-month conference room discussion assembling accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and corporate leadership and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session unites board professionals to analyze the genuine pressures forming board agendas today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Threats and Priorities Forming 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Developing regulative and governance expectations Innovation disturbance and cyber strength Long-term worth creation and sustainability imperatives Leadership choices boards need to prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent members and speakers include: Mediator Nnoli Akpedeye MD/CEO, Contego Servo Limited Speakers Sarah Ajose-Adeogun Managing Partner, Teasoo Consulting Ochanya R.
Deborah David CFO, Powergas It is a convening of executives contributing straight to governance, danger oversight, and strategic direction within their organisations. Through this collaboration, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are purposefully developing a repeating online forum that surface areas board-level insight, magnifies trustworthy female governance voices, and broadens access to the strategic thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
4 March 2026 6:00 PM WAT Zoom Register to sign up with the discussion. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the latest insights, trends, and strategies provided straight to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to stay at the leading edge of what's next.
Total assets held broadly stable over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued rearranging and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a significant new capital deployment. International macro conditions set a challenging background.
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 unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs providing positive returns compared to 26 in decrease. Overall, the information shows a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of items.
Efficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of distinctive winners, rather than broad market strength. The leading ETFs were concentrated in specific country direct exposures and commodities, particularly Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were resilient throughout the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil direct exposure supported its local market, with Aramco reaching new highs in the middle of higher oil costs, along with its continued capability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which remains open.
Egypt provided strong performance in January and February. Regardless of a market pullback in March due to the war, both Egypt's market and its ETFs still published positive returns for the quarter. The ongoing Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock have actually improved the outlook for emerging market equities in between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector also faced more comprehensive macro headwinds, including a more careful policy backdrop in China and global risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and higher energy prices. Thematic ETFs Struggled for the most part, particularly those connected to carbon and high-growth technology, as evaluation pressures and worldwide rate dynamics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF considerably surpassed. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allowance instead of broad market involvement. In spite of weak efficiency, ETFs tape-recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a small number of products attracting new capital. This indicates that investors were targeting specific exposures, while reducing or rotating out of others.
Trading activity stayed steady, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of bigger and more liquid ETFs. Most activity appears to have actually taken location in the secondary market, enabling financiers to change positions without considerable main developments or redemptions.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, including a niche thematic direct exposure focused on global high-end and consumer brand names. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some progress connecting to ETFs in the GCC. We expect more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the conflict has actually impacted belief and rates throughout the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in local properties.
Strategic Tips for Navigating the Regional LandscapeIn spite of continuous geopolitical tensions and security risks across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to show durability, preserving favorable development momentum recently. While disputes in the broader region and global financial unpredictability remain a structural restriction, GCC nations have actually up until now restricted their influence on domestic economic efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy connection, and continual financial investment.
Latest Posts
Long-Term Dubai Industrial Expansion Patterns in 2026
Essential Middle East Market Analysis Trends in 2026
Optimising Operational Efficiency through Advanced Business Research


