All Categories
Featured
Table of Contents
Notify strategy with evidence: Use independent information on market confidence, growth, and customer demand to guide your strategic direction. Verify investment strategies: Guarantee resource allocation and initiatives are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up positive choices: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach arrangement quickly and take definitive action.
Capital is tighter. And the quality of conference room judgment will increasingly identify which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In response, Ascent Club, an exposure launchpad curating gain access to and chances for board- and C-level ladies, in cooperation with BusinessDay, is releasing a new month-to-month conference room discussion convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and business management and who are members of Climb Club.
This inaugural session combines board specialists to examine the genuine pressures forming board agendas today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Threats and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Progressing regulatory and governance expectations Technology interruption and cyber strength Long-lasting value production and sustainability imperatives Management decisions boards must prioritise heading into 2026 Climb members and speakers include: Moderator 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, risk oversight, and tactical direction within their organisations. Through this partnership, Climb Club and BusinessDay are purposefully creating a recurring online forum that surface areas board-level insight, enhances reliable female governance voices, and expands 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 most recent insights, trends, and methods provided directly to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the leading edge of what's next.
Overall possessions held broadly constant over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued rearranging and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a meaningful brand-new capital release. Global macro conditions set a difficult backdrop.
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 unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs providing favorable returns compared to 26 in decrease. Overall, the data shows a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a small subset of products.
Ways to Enhance GCC Business PlanningEfficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, instead of broad market strength. The leading ETFs were focused in specific country direct exposures and products, particularly Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were resilient during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil direct exposure supported its local market, with Aramco reaching new highs in the middle of greater oil prices, along with its continued ability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which stays open.
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 posted positive returns for the quarter. The ongoing Middle East dispute and resulting energy shock have 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, consisting of a more careful policy backdrop in China and international risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy costs. Thematic ETFs also had a hard time for the most part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as assessment pressures and global rate dynamics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF significantly surpassed. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allocation rather than broad market involvement. Despite weak performance, ETFs tape-recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of products attracting new capital. This shows that financiers were targeting particular direct exposures, while reducing or turning 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 occurred in the secondary market, making it possible for financiers to change positions without significant main creations or redemptions. While recent geopolitical events have led to more monetary pressure on GCC countries, the region stays resilient and well capitalized to deal with the scenario.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, including a niche thematic exposure focused on global luxury and consumer brand names. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 showed some progress associating with ETFs in the GCC. We expect more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the dispute has actually affected belief and rates throughout the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in regional properties.
How Data Redefines GCC Enterprise VisionIn spite of ongoing geopolitical tensions and security threats throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to show durability, keeping favorable development momentum in the last few years. While disputes in the wider area and worldwide financial unpredictability stay a structural restraint, GCC nations have actually so far limited their effect on domestic financial performance through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and continual investment.
Latest Posts

Ways to Utilize GCC Intelligence for Success

The Strategic Benefits of Deep Market Research

Advanced Planning for GCC Excellence