All Categories
Featured
Table of Contents
Inform strategy with proof: Usage independent data on market confidence, development, and client demand to direct your strategic instructions. Confirm investment plans: Ensure resource allotment and initiatives are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up positive choices: Equip members of your executive team with clear, actionable insight to reach agreement quickly and take decisive action.
Capital is tighter. And the quality of conference room judgment will increasingly figure out which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In reaction, Ascent Club, a visibility launchpad curating access and chances for board- and C-level women, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is launching a brand-new regular monthly boardroom dialogue assembling accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and business leadership and who are members of Climb Club.
This inaugural session brings together board practitioners to analyze the real pressures forming board agendas today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Dangers and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Progressing regulative and governance expectations Innovation interruption and cyber strength Long-lasting value production and sustainability imperatives Leadership decisions boards need to prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent 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 directly to governance, danger oversight, and tactical direction within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are deliberately producing a recurring forum that surface areas board-level insight, magnifies reliable female governance voices, and broadens access to the strategic thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
Get the most recent insights, trends, and methods provided directly to your inbox. Sign up with Everest Group's newsletter to stay at the leading edge of what's next.
Overall assets held broadly consistent over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a response to geopolitical news rather than a meaningful new capital implementation. International macro conditions set a difficult background.
The result was a quarter specified by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional trend. Oil associated assets did well for the most part. On the favorable side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF introduced on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. Likewise in Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have actually been approved for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and will be approved by the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange (ADX). The GCC ETF universe made up 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Performance throughout the market was broadly unfavorable, with just 13 ETFs providing positive returns compared to 26 in decline. Performance in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of distinctive winners, rather than broad market strength.
Egypt delivered 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 positive returns for the quarter. The continuous Middle East dispute and resulting energy shock have reshaped the outlook for emerging market equities between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector also dealt with more comprehensive macro headwinds, consisting of a more cautious policy backdrop in China and worldwide risk-off belief driven by geopolitical stress and higher energy costs. Thematic ETFs Struggled for the a lot of part, especially those connected to carbon and high-growth innovation, as assessment pressures and international rate characteristics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF significantly outshined. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely concentrated, reflecting selective allocation instead of broad market involvement. Despite weak efficiency, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a small number of products attracting brand-new capital. This indicates that financiers were targeting particular direct exposures, while lowering or rotating out of others.
Trading activity remained steady, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. The majority of activity appears to have actually happened in the secondary market, making it possible for financiers to adjust positions without considerable primary productions or redemptions. While current geopolitical occasions have resulted in more monetary pressure on GCC nations, the region remains durable and well capitalized to handle the scenario.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic direct exposure concentrated on global luxury and customer brand names. Momentum continued into April with the approval of KraneShares AGIX and KWIN ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX. These funds are anticipated to release in April pending a final approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 showed some development connecting to ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more international and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the conflict has affected sentiment and rates during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in local possessions.
Regardless of ongoing geopolitical tensions and security risks throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to demonstrate resilience, preserving positive growth momentum over the last few years. While disputes in the broader region and global financial uncertainty stay a structural restraint, GCC nations have actually up until now limited their effect on domestic economic efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and sustained financial investment.
Latest Posts
Emerging Future Shifts Shaping the 2026 GCC Market
Driving Dubai Industrial Growth through Strategy
How to Utilize Market Intelligence for Success


