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Inform strategy with evidence: Usage independent information on market confidence, development, and client demand to guide your strategic direction. Verify investment plans: Make sure resource allocation and initiatives are backed by trustworthy market insight. Speed up confident choices: Equip members of your executive team with clear, actionable insight to reach arrangement quickly and take definitive action.

Capital is tighter. And the quality of conference room judgment will progressively identify which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In action, Climb Club, an exposure launchpad curating access and opportunities for board- and C-level ladies, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is launching a new regular monthly conference room 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 combines board specialists to take a look at the genuine pressures forming board agendas today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Threats and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Developing regulatory and governance expectations Technology interruption and cyber durability Long-term value production and sustainability imperatives Leadership decisions boards must prioritise heading into 2026 Climb 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 deliberately developing a repeating forum that surfaces board-level insight, enhances credible female governance voices, and expands access to the tactical thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
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The GCC ETF market entered Q1 2026 in a consolidation stage, with activity staying raised but growth slowing. Total assets held broadly stable over the quarter, while trading levels indicated continued rearranging and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a meaningful new capital implementation. Global macro conditions set a difficult background.
The result was a quarter defined by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional trend. Oil associated possessions succeeded for the a lot of part. On the positive side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF launched on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. In Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have actually been authorized for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and will be authorized by the Abu Dhabi Stock Market (ADX). The GCC ETF universe comprised 39 ETFs with an overall AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Performance throughout the market was broadly unfavorable, with just 13 ETFs delivering positive returns compared to 26 in decline. Efficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, rather than broad market strength.
Egypt delivered strong efficiency in January and February. In spite of a market pullback in March due to the war, both Egypt's market and its ETFs still posted 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 dealt with wider macro headwinds, consisting of a more cautious policy background in China and global risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy rates. Thematic ETFs Struggled for the most part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as appraisal pressures and international rate characteristics weighed on performance.
Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely focused, reflecting selective allocation rather than broad market participation. Regardless of weak efficiency, ETFs recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of products bring in brand-new capital.

Trading activity stayed consistent, 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, allowing financiers to change positions without significant primary creations or redemptions.
In January, Boreas launched its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic direct exposure focused on international luxury and customer brand names. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 showed some development 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 affected belief and rates during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in local properties.
Despite ongoing geopolitical stress and security threats across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to demonstrate durability, maintaining positive development momentum recently. While disputes in the broader region and international economic unpredictability remain a structural restriction, GCC countries have actually up until now limited their influence on domestic economic performance through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and continual investment.
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