All Categories
Featured
Table of Contents
Notify strategy with proof: Usage independent information on market confidence, growth, and customer need to assist your strategic instructions. Validate financial investment plans: Ensure resource allowance and initiatives are backed by trustworthy market insight. Speed up confident decisions: Equip members of your executive team with clear, actionable insight to reach agreement rapidly and take definitive action.

1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA between the GCC and the UK is a Significant Strategic Opportunity to Raise 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)," Might 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Passage (IMEC) Progress Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA programme strengthens international financial ties with 26 tactical agreements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign open market pact 'very quickly'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA plans to a minimum of double annual US investments over next decade," Might 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE investments in Africa position nation as world's fourth-largest financier," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Truth Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards across Africa are entering a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Examination is greater. Threat is more interconnected. And the quality of conference room judgment will increasingly identify which organisations sustain growth and which fall back. In reaction, Ascent Club, a visibility launchpad curating access and opportunities for board- and C-level females, in partnership with BusinessDay, is releasing a 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 Ascent Club.
This inaugural session combines board practitioners to analyze the real pressures shaping board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Dangers and Priorities Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Evolving regulative and governance expectations Innovation interruption and cyber durability Long-term worth creation and sustainability imperatives Management decisions boards should prioritise heading into 2026 Climb members and speakers include: Moderator Nnoli Akpedeye MD/CEO, Contego Servo Limited Speakers Sarah Ajose-Adeogun Handling Partner, Teasoo Consulting Ochanya R.

Deborah David CFO, Powergas It is an assembling of executives contributing directly to governance, risk oversight, and strategic direction within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are deliberately creating a repeating forum that surfaces board-level insight, magnifies credible female governance voices, and broadens access to the tactical thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
Get the current insights, trends, and techniques delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up with Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the forefront of what's next.
Total possessions held broadly stable over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a response to geopolitical news rather than a significant new capital release. International macro conditions set a difficult backdrop.
The GCC ETF universe consisted of 39 ETFs with an overall AUM of $9.35 billion (since Q1 2026). Efficiency across the market was broadly negative, with just 13 ETFs delivering positive returns compared to 26 in decrease. Overall, the information reflects a market that is active however narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of products.
Efficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, instead of broad market strength. The leading ETFs were concentrated in specific nation direct exposures and products, particularly Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were durable during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil direct exposure supported its regional market, with Aramco reaching new highs in the middle of greater oil costs, as well as its continued capability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which remains open.
Egypt provided strong performance in January and February. Despite a market pullback in March due to the war, both Egypt's market and its ETFs still posted positive returns for the quarter. The ongoing 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 likewise dealt with broader macro headwinds, including a more cautious policy backdrop in China and worldwide risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and higher energy prices. Thematic ETFs likewise had a hard time for the a lot of part, especially those connected to carbon and high-growth innovation, as evaluation pressures and global rate dynamics weighed on performance.
Flows in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely concentrated, showing selective allowance rather than broad market involvement. Regardless of weak efficiency, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of items drawing in brand-new capital.

Trading activity remained steady, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of bigger and more liquid ETFs. The majority of activity appears to have taken place in the secondary market, making it possible for investors to change positions without considerable main productions or redemptions.
In January, Boreas introduced its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic exposure focused on global luxury and customer brands. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some development associating with ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more international and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the conflict has impacted sentiment and prices throughout the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in regional assets.
Why Does Operational Excellence Vital for Future Expansion?Despite continuous geopolitical stress and security dangers across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to demonstrate strength, maintaining positive development momentum recently. While conflicts in the broader region and worldwide economic unpredictability remain a structural restriction, GCC nations have actually up until now restricted their impact on domestic economic efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and continual financial investment.
Latest Posts

The Benefits of Industrial Excellence for Dubai
Driving Regional Industrial Growth through Strategic Excellence

Middle East News: Strategic Corporate Trends for 2026