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Inform strategy with evidence: Use independent information on market confidence, growth, and customer demand to direct your strategic instructions. Verify financial investment strategies: Guarantee resource allotment and initiatives are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up positive decisions: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach contract rapidly and take decisive action.
1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA in between the GCC and the UK is a Major Strategic Chance to Elevate 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 Corridor (IMEC) Development Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA program strengthens global economic ties with 26 tactical agreements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign open market pact 'very soon'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA plans to a minimum of double yearly US financial investments over next decade," May 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE financial investments in Africa position country as world's fourth-largest financier," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Fact Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards throughout Africa are going into a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Analysis is higher. Risk is more interconnected. And the quality of boardroom judgment will increasingly figure out which organisations sustain growth and which fall back. In reaction, Ascent Club, a presence launchpad curating gain access to and opportunities for board- and C-level females, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is releasing a brand-new month-to-month conference room dialogue convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and business management and who are members of Climb Club.
This inaugural session combines board professionals to examine the genuine pressures forming board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Dangers and Concerns Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Developing regulative and governance expectations Innovation interruption and cyber resilience Long-term worth development and sustainability imperatives Leadership choices boards should prioritise heading into 2026 Climb members and speakers consist of: 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, threat oversight, and tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are purposefully developing a repeating online forum that surface areas board-level insight, magnifies credible female governance voices, and broadens access to the strategic thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
4 March 2026 6:00 PM WAT Zoom Register to join the discussion. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the current insights, patterns, and techniques provided straight to your inbox. Sign up with Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the forefront of what's next.
The GCC ETF market entered Q1 2026 in a debt consolidation phase, with activity staying raised however growth slowing down. Total properties held broadly consistent over the quarter, while trading levels indicated continued rearranging and as a response to geopolitical news rather than a significant new capital deployment. Worldwide macro conditions set a challenging background.
The GCC ETF universe made up 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Efficiency throughout the market was broadly unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs delivering favorable returns compared to 26 in decrease. Efficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic 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 favorable returns for the quarter. The ongoing Middle East dispute and resulting energy shock have improved the outlook for emerging market equities in between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector likewise faced more comprehensive macro headwinds, consisting of a more mindful policy backdrop in China and worldwide risk-off belief driven by geopolitical tensions and higher energy rates. Thematic ETFs also had a hard time for the most part, particularly those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as evaluation pressures and worldwide rate characteristics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF considerably outperformed. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly focused, reflecting selective allowance rather than broad market participation. Despite weak efficiency, ETFs recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with just a little number of products attracting brand-new capital. This indicates that financiers were targeting particular direct exposures, while minimizing or rotating out of others.
Trading activity stayed steady, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. Many activity appears to have happened in the secondary market, allowing investors to adjust positions without significant primary developments or redemptions. While current geopolitical occasions have actually led to more monetary pressure on GCC countries, the area remains durable and well capitalized to handle the circumstance.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic direct exposure focused on worldwide high-end and consumer brand names. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 showed some progress relating to ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the dispute has actually affected sentiment and rates during the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in local properties.
Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and security threats across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to show resilience, keeping favorable growth momentum over the last few years. While disputes in the wider area and global financial unpredictability remain a structural restraint, GCC nations have up until now limited their effect on domestic economic performance through strong financial positions, policy connection, and continual financial investment.
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