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Notify strategy with proof: Usage independent data on market confidence, development, and client need to assist your strategic direction. Validate financial investment plans: Make sure resource allowance and initiatives are backed by reliable market insight. Speed up confident choices: Equip members of your executive team with clear, actionable insight to reach contract rapidly and take definitive action.

Capital is tighter. And the quality of boardroom judgment will increasingly figure out which organisations sustain growth and which fall behind. In reaction, Climb Club, an exposure launchpad curating access and chances for board- and C-level ladies, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is introducing a new regular monthly boardroom dialogue convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and business management and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session combines board practitioners to examine the genuine pressures forming board programs today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Dangers and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Evolving regulative and governance expectations Innovation disturbance and cyber resilience Long-lasting 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, risk oversight, and strategic direction within their organisations. Through this collaboration, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are deliberately producing a repeating online forum that surface areas board-level insight, enhances reliable female governance voices, and broadens access to the tactical thinking emerging from Africa's conference rooms.
4 March 2026 6:00 PM WAT Zoom Register to join the discussion. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the most current insights, trends, and methods delivered directly to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the forefront of what's next.
Overall properties held broadly steady 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 difficult background.
The GCC ETF universe made up 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Performance throughout the marketplace was broadly unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs delivering favorable returns compared to 26 in decrease. In general, the information shows a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of products.
Corporate Planning for Middle East LeadershipPerformance in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, rather than broad market strength. The leading ETFs were concentrated in particular country exposures and products, especially Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were durable during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil direct exposure supported its regional market, with Aramco reaching new highs amidst greater oil costs, in addition to its continued capability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which remains open.
Egypt provided 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 positive returns for the quarter. The ongoing 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 likewise dealt with broader macro headwinds, consisting of a more mindful policy backdrop in China and worldwide risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and higher energy prices. Thematic ETFs also struggled for the a lot of part, especially those connected to carbon and high-growth innovation, as assessment pressures and worldwide rate dynamics weighed on efficiency.
The petrochemical ETF significantly exceeded. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, reflecting selective allocation rather than broad market involvement. Despite weak efficiency, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a small number of items bring in new capital. This indicates that financiers were targeting particular exposures, while reducing or rotating out of others.

Trading activity stayed consistent, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. A lot of activity appears to have occurred in the secondary market, enabling investors to change positions without significant primary developments or redemptions. While recent geopolitical events have actually led to more monetary pressure on GCC nations, the region stays resilient and well capitalized to handle the situation.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic direct exposure focused on international high-end and customer brand names. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed 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 properties.
Regardless of continuous geopolitical tensions and security dangers throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to show strength, preserving favorable growth momentum recently. While conflicts in the broader region and international economic unpredictability remain a structural restraint, GCC countries have so far restricted their influence on domestic economic performance through strong financial positions, policy connection, and sustained financial investment.
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