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Inform strategy with evidence: Usage independent data on market self-confidence, growth, and customer demand to direct your tactical direction. Confirm financial investment plans: Make sure resource allocation and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up positive decisions: Equip members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach contract rapidly and take definitive action.
1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA in between the GCC and the UK is a Major Strategic Opportunity to Elevate Economic Relations to New Horizons," October 20252 GCC, "Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation In Between the Association of the Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," May 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) Development 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 complimentary 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 United States 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, "Reality Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards throughout Africa are going into a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Examination is greater. Risk is more interconnected. And the quality of boardroom judgment will progressively figure out which organisations sustain development and which fall back. In reaction, Climb Club, an exposure launchpad curating access and chances for board- and C-level ladies, in cooperation with BusinessDay, is releasing a brand-new regular monthly conference room dialogue convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and business management and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session unites board professionals to analyze the genuine pressures forming board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Threats and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Evolving regulative and governance expectations Innovation interruption and cyber durability Long-lasting value development and sustainability imperatives Management decisions boards must 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 tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are deliberately creating a recurring online forum that surface areas board-level insight, amplifies reliable 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 conversation. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the most recent insights, patterns, and methods delivered straight to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the leading edge of what's next.
The GCC ETF market entered Q1 2026 in a consolidation stage, with activity remaining elevated however growth slowing. Overall assets held broadly consistent over the quarter, while trading levels indicated continued repositioning and as a reaction to geopolitical news instead of a significant new capital release. International macro conditions set a difficult background.
The result was a quarter specified by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional trend. Oil associated properties did well for the most part. On the favorable side, in January, the Boreas Absolute High-end ETF launched on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. Likewise in Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have actually been approved for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and will be approved by the Abu Dhabi Stock Market (ADX). The GCC ETF universe consisted of 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Performance throughout the market was broadly negative, with only 13 ETFs providing positive returns compared to 26 in decline. Performance in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of distinctive winners, rather than broad market strength.
Egypt provided strong performance 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 positive returns for the quarter. The ongoing Middle East dispute 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 likewise dealt with wider macro headwinds, consisting of a more mindful policy background in China and worldwide risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy rates. Thematic ETFs also had a hard time for the a lot of part, particularly those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as valuation pressures and global rate characteristics weighed on efficiency.
The petrochemical ETF considerably outshined. Flows in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allocation rather than broad market participation. Despite weak efficiency, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with just a small number of products drawing in brand-new capital. This indicates that investors were targeting particular exposures, while reducing or rotating out of others.
Trading activity remained consistent, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. A lot of activity appears to have actually taken location in the secondary market, enabling investors to adjust positions without substantial primary creations or redemptions.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic direct exposure focused on global 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 expected to launch in April pending a last approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some progress associating with ETFs in the GCC. We expect more international and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the dispute has actually impacted belief and rates during the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in regional properties.
In spite of continuous geopolitical stress and security dangers across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to show durability, preserving favorable development momentum recently. While disputes in the broader region and global financial uncertainty remain a structural restriction, GCC countries have so far limited their effect on domestic financial efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and continual financial investment.
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