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Notify technique with proof: Usage independent information on market confidence, development, and client need to guide your strategic direction. Verify investment strategies: Guarantee resource allotment and efforts are backed by reliable market insight. Accelerate positive decisions: Gear up members of your executive team with clear, actionable insight to reach agreement quickly and take definitive action.
1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA between the GCC and the UK is a Major Strategic Chance to Raise Economic Relations to New Horizons," October 20252 GCC, "Joint Statement on Economic Cooperation 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) Progress Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA program reinforces global economic ties with 26 strategic agreements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign totally free trade 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 financial 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, "Fact Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards throughout Africa are entering a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Scrutiny is higher. Risk is more interconnected. And the quality of boardroom judgment will increasingly identify which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In response, Climb Club, an exposure launchpad curating gain access to and chances for board- and C-level females, in cooperation with BusinessDay, is launching a new regular monthly conference room dialogue convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and business leadership and who are members of Climb Club.
This inaugural session unites board specialists to analyze the real pressures forming board agendas today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Risks and Concerns Forming 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Progressing regulative and governance expectations Innovation disturbance and cyber durability Long-lasting worth development and sustainability imperatives Leadership decisions boards need to prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent members and speakers consist of: Moderator 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 straight to governance, risk oversight, and strategic instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Climb Club and BusinessDay are purposefully creating a repeating online forum that surface areas board-level insight, amplifies credible female governance voices, and broadens access to the strategic thinking emerging from Africa's conference rooms.
4 March 2026 6:00 PM WAT Zoom Register to sign up with the discussion. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the most recent insights, trends, and strategies provided straight to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the leading edge of what's next.
The GCC ETF market gone into Q1 2026 in a debt consolidation stage, with activity staying raised however development slowing down. Total properties held broadly stable over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a response to geopolitical news instead of a meaningful new capital deployment. Worldwide macro conditions set a challenging background.
The outcome was a quarter defined by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, rather than a clear directional trend. Oil related assets succeeded for the many part. On the positive side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF introduced on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. In Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have been approved for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and are about to be approved by the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange (ADX). The GCC ETF universe comprised 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Efficiency across the market was broadly negative, with only 13 ETFs delivering positive returns compared to 26 in decrease. Performance in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of distinctive winners, rather than broad market strength.
Egypt provided strong efficiency in January and February. Regardless 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 ongoing Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock have reshaped the outlook for emerging market equities between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector likewise faced broader macro headwinds, consisting of a more careful policy backdrop in China and global risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy rates. Thematic ETFs Had a hard time for the most part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth innovation, as appraisal pressures and global rate characteristics weighed on efficiency.
The petrochemical ETF considerably outshined. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly focused, reflecting selective allowance instead of broad market involvement. Regardless of weak efficiency, ETFs recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with just a little number of products drawing in new capital. This indicates that investors were targeting specific exposures, while reducing or rotating out of others.
Trading activity stayed constant, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. The majority of activity appears to have actually occurred in the secondary market, allowing investors to adjust positions without substantial main creations or redemptions. While recent geopolitical occasions have actually led to more financial pressure on GCC countries, the region remains resistant and well capitalized to handle the scenario.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, including a niche thematic direct exposure concentrated on international luxury and customer 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 anticipated to launch in April pending a last approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some development relating to ETFs in the GCC. We expect more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the conflict has affected sentiment and rates during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in local assets.
Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and security risks across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to show strength, preserving favorable growth momentum recently. While conflicts in the broader area and worldwide economic uncertainty remain a structural constraint, GCC countries have so far restricted their effect on domestic financial efficiency through strong financial positions, policy continuity, and continual financial investment.
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