All Categories
Featured
Table of Contents
Inform strategy with proof: Usage independent data on market confidence, development, and customer demand to guide your strategic direction. Confirm investment plans: Guarantee resource allocation and initiatives are backed by reliable market insight. Speed up positive choices: Gear up members of your executive team with clear, actionable insight to reach agreement quickly and take definitive action.
Capital is tighter. And the quality of boardroom judgment will progressively identify which organisations sustain growth and which fall behind. In action, Ascent Club, a presence launchpad curating gain access to and opportunities for board- and C-level females, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is introducing a brand-new regular monthly conference room discussion convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and corporate management and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session combines board professionals to examine the genuine pressures forming board agendas today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Threats and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Progressing regulative and governance expectations Technology disruption and cyber strength Long-lasting value production and sustainability imperatives Leadership choices boards need to prioritise heading into 2026 Climb members and speakers consist of: Mediator Nnoli Akpedeye MD/CEO, Contego Servo Limited Speakers Sarah Ajose-Adeogun Handling Partner, Teasoo Consulting Ochanya R.
Deborah David CFO, Powergas It is a convening of executives contributing straight to governance, threat oversight, and strategic instructions within their organisations. Through this collaboration, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are purposefully creating a recurring forum that surfaces board-level insight, magnifies reputable female governance voices, and expands access to the strategic thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
4 March 2026 6:00 PM WAT Zoom Register to sign up with the conversation. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the newest insights, trends, and techniques delivered directly to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the forefront of what's next.
Overall possessions held broadly consistent over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a significant new capital deployment. International macro conditions set a challenging backdrop.
The result was a quarter specified by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, rather than a clear directional trend. Oil associated properties did well for the many part. On the favorable side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF introduced on ADX to include more thematic ETFs. In Q1, two more Kraneshares have been authorized 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 throughout the marketplace was broadly negative, with only 13 ETFs providing positive returns compared to 26 in decrease. Overall, the data shows a market that is active however narrow, with capital and liquidity focused 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 focused in particular country direct exposures and commodities, particularly Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were durable throughout the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil exposure supported its local market, with Aramco reaching new highs in the middle of higher oil prices, in addition to its continued ability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which stays open.
Egypt delivered 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 continuous Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock have actually improved the outlook for emerging market equities between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector also faced broader macro headwinds, including a more careful policy background in China and global risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical tensions and higher energy prices. Thematic ETFs Had a hard time for the many part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth innovation, as appraisal pressures and international rate characteristics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF significantly surpassed. Flows in Q1 2026 were modest and highly focused, showing selective allocation instead of broad market participation. In spite of weak performance, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with just a small number of products attracting new capital. This suggests that investors were targeting specific exposures, while decreasing or rotating out of others.
Trading activity remained steady, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of bigger and more liquid ETFs. A lot of activity appears to have taken location in the secondary market, allowing financiers to adjust positions without substantial main creations or redemptions.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, adding a specific niche thematic direct exposure focused on international luxury and consumer brands. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some development connecting to ETFs in the GCC. We expect more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the conflict has actually affected belief and prices during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in regional possessions.
The Benefits of Operational Efficiency for 2026In spite of continuous geopolitical stress and security threats across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to show durability, maintaining positive growth momentum in current years. While disputes in the larger region and global economic unpredictability remain a structural restriction, GCC countries have up until now limited their influence on domestic financial efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and continual financial investment.
Latest Posts
Navigating the Next GCC Business Landscape
A Strategic Guide to Regional Industrial Success in 2026
Optimising Corporate ROI through Advanced Market Research

