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Inform strategy with proof: Use independent information on market self-confidence, development, and client demand to guide your strategic direction. Confirm financial investment plans: Guarantee resource allocation and initiatives are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up confident decisions: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach contract quickly 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 Countries (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," May 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Passage (IMEC) Development Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA program enhances worldwide economic ties with 26 tactical contracts," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign free trade pact 'soon'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA prepares to at least double yearly US investments over next decade," Might 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE investments in Africa position country as world's fourth-largest investor," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Reality Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards throughout Africa are going into a defining cycle. Capital is tighter. Scrutiny is higher. Risk is more interconnected. And the quality of conference room judgment will increasingly identify which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In response, Climb Club, a presence launchpad curating access and chances for board- and C-level women, in cooperation with BusinessDay, is introducing a brand-new regular monthly boardroom dialogue convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and corporate management and who are members of Climb Club.
This inaugural session combines board specialists to take a look at the real pressures forming board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Risks and Concerns Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Evolving regulatory and governance expectations Technology disturbance and cyber durability Long-term worth production and sustainability imperatives Management choices boards should 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 an assembling of executives contributing straight to governance, danger oversight, and strategic instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Climb Club and BusinessDay are intentionally producing a repeating online forum that surfaces board-level insight, amplifies reliable female governance voices, and expands access to the tactical thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
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Overall properties held broadly stable over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a significant brand-new capital deployment. Worldwide macro conditions set a tough backdrop.
The GCC ETF universe consisted of 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Efficiency throughout the marketplace was broadly negative, with just 13 ETFs delivering favorable returns compared to 26 in decrease. Overall, the data reflects a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of products.
The Strategic Benefits of Deep Market ResearchEfficiency 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 products, particularly Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were resilient during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil direct exposure supported its regional market, with Aramco reaching new highs in the middle of greater oil costs, in addition to its continued ability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which remains open.
Egypt delivered strong performance in January and February. Despite a market pullback in March due to the war, both Egypt's market and its ETFs still posted positive returns for the quarter. The continuous Middle East conflict 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 wider macro headwinds, consisting of a more cautious policy background in China and international risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy prices. Thematic ETFs also struggled for the a lot of part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth innovation, as appraisal pressures and international rate dynamics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF considerably exceeded. Flows in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allotment rather than broad market involvement. Regardless of weak efficiency, ETFs tape-recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of products bring in new capital. This shows that financiers were targeting specific direct exposures, while reducing or rotating out of others.
Trading activity remained constant, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. Most activity appears to have taken location in the secondary market, making it possible for financiers to change positions without considerable primary developments or redemptions.
In January, Boreas launched its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, adding a niche thematic exposure concentrated on global luxury and consumer 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 final approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 showed some progress relating to ETFs in the GCC. We expect more international and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the conflict has affected sentiment and rates during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in regional assets.
In spite of ongoing geopolitical tensions and security threats across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to demonstrate strength, maintaining positive growth momentum in recent years. While conflicts in the wider region and international economic uncertainty stay a structural restriction, GCC countries have actually up until now restricted their effect on domestic financial efficiency through strong financial positions, policy connection, and continual financial investment.
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