All Categories
Featured
Table of Contents
Inform strategy with evidence: Use independent data on market confidence, development, and customer demand to assist your tactical instructions. Confirm investment plans: Ensure resource allowance and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Accelerate positive choices: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach contract rapidly and take definitive action.

Capital is tighter. And the quality of boardroom judgment will significantly determine which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In response, Ascent Club, a visibility launchpad curating access and chances for board- and C-level females, in cooperation with BusinessDay, is releasing a brand-new monthly boardroom discussion convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and corporate management and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session brings together board professionals to take a look at the real pressures forming board programs today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Dangers and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Evolving regulative and governance expectations Technology disturbance and cyber durability Long-term worth production and sustainability imperatives Management choices boards must prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent members and speakers consist of: 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 instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are intentionally developing a repeating forum that surfaces board-level insight, magnifies reliable female governance voices, and broadens access to the tactical 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 current insights, patterns, and methods delivered straight to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to stay at the forefront of what's next.
Overall possessions held broadly steady over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued rearranging and as a response to geopolitical news rather than a meaningful brand-new capital implementation. Global macro conditions set a challenging background.
The outcome was a quarter specified by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional pattern. Oil related properties did well for the a lot of part. On the favorable side, in January, the Boreas Absolute High-end ETF launched on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. In Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have been approved for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and will be authorized by the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange (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 delivering favorable returns compared to 26 in decrease. Efficiency 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 posted favorable returns for the quarter. The continuous Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock have actually reshaped the outlook for emerging market equities between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector likewise dealt with more comprehensive macro headwinds, including a more mindful policy background in China and worldwide risk-off belief driven by geopolitical tensions and higher energy costs. Thematic ETFs Struggled for the most part, particularly those connected to carbon and high-growth technology, as appraisal pressures and international rate characteristics weighed on efficiency.
The petrochemical ETF considerably surpassed. Flows in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely concentrated, showing 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 items drawing in new capital. This indicates that financiers were targeting particular direct exposures, while lowering or rotating out of others.
Trading activity stayed consistent, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. Most activity appears to have actually occurred in the secondary market, enabling financiers to change positions without considerable main creations or redemptions. While current geopolitical events have actually resulted in more financial pressure on GCC countries, the area remains durable and well capitalized to deal with the circumstance.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a niche thematic exposure concentrated on worldwide high-end and customer brands. 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 showed some development connecting to ETFs in the GCC. We expect more international and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the conflict has actually affected sentiment and rates during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in regional possessions.
Regardless of ongoing geopolitical stress and security threats across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to demonstrate durability, keeping favorable development momentum in recent years. While conflicts in the broader region and worldwide financial unpredictability remain a structural constraint, GCC nations have up until now limited their influence on domestic financial performance through strong financial positions, policy connection, and continual investment.
Latest Posts
Connecting Policy With Business Excellence Across the Gulf

Key Developments in the 2026 Middle East Market

How to Secure a Competitive Advantage in 2026