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Inform strategy with proof: Use independent information on market self-confidence, growth, and client demand to assist your tactical instructions. Verify financial investment plans: Guarantee resource allotment and initiatives are backed by credible market insight. Speed up confident decisions: Gear up members of your executive team with clear, actionable insight to reach agreement quickly and take definitive action.

1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA between the GCC and the UK is a Major Strategic Chance to Raise Economic Relations to New Horizons," October 20252 GCC, "Joint Statement on Economic Cooperation Between the Association of the Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)," Might 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Passage (IMEC) Progress Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA programme strengthens worldwide economic ties with 26 strategic agreements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign complimentary trade pact 'very quickly'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA plans to a minimum of double annual United States financial investments over next decade," Might 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 across Africa are going into a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Examination is higher. Danger is more interconnected. And the quality of conference room judgment will increasingly identify which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In response, Ascent Club, a presence launchpad curating gain access to and opportunities for board- and C-level females, in partnership with BusinessDay, is releasing a new month-to-month conference room discussion assembling accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and business leadership and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session unites board professionals to analyze the genuine pressures shaping board agendas today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Threats and Priorities Forming 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Developing regulative and governance expectations Innovation disruption and cyber durability Long-term value creation and sustainability imperatives Leadership decisions boards must 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 an assembling of executives contributing straight to governance, risk oversight, and tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this collaboration, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are intentionally creating a recurring online forum that surface areas board-level insight, magnifies credible female governance voices, and expands access to the strategic thinking emerging from Africa's boardrooms.
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Total assets held broadly steady over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a response to geopolitical news rather than a significant brand-new capital deployment. Worldwide macro conditions set a difficult background.
The outcome was a quarter specified by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, rather than a clear directional pattern. Oil related assets succeeded for the most part. On the positive side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF launched on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. Likewise in Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have been approved for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and will be approved by the Abu Dhabi Stock Market (ADX). The GCC ETF universe made up 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Efficiency across the market was broadly negative, with only 13 ETFs delivering positive returns compared to 26 in decline. Performance in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, rather than broad market strength.
Egypt provided strong efficiency in January and February. Despite a market pullback in March due to the war, both Egypt's market and its ETFs still published favorable returns for the quarter. The continuous Middle East conflict 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 more comprehensive macro headwinds, consisting of a more mindful policy background in China and international risk-off belief driven by geopolitical tensions and greater energy costs. Thematic ETFs Had a hard time for the most part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as assessment pressures and international rate dynamics weighed on performance.
Flows in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allotment rather than broad market involvement. Despite weak performance, ETFs tape-recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of products bring in new capital.

Trading activity stayed stable, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. A lot of activity appears to have happened in the secondary market, allowing financiers to adjust positions without considerable main developments or redemptions. While recent geopolitical occasions have led to more financial pressure on GCC nations, the area stays resilient and well capitalized to handle the circumstance.
In January, Boreas introduced its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic direct exposure concentrated on international high-end 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 release in April pending a last approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some development relating to ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more worldwide and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the dispute has actually impacted belief and costs during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in regional assets.
Despite continuous geopolitical tensions and security dangers throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to show durability, preserving favorable development momentum in the last few years. While conflicts in the larger region and worldwide financial unpredictability remain a structural constraint, GCC nations have so far restricted their influence on domestic economic efficiency through strong financial positions, policy continuity, and sustained financial investment.
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