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Notify technique with evidence: Usage independent information on market self-confidence, development, and client demand to direct your strategic direction. Verify investment plans: Make sure resource allowance and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up confident choices: Equip members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach arrangement quickly and take decisive action.

1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA in between the GCC and the UK is a Major Strategic Chance to Raise Economic Relations to New Horizons," October 20252 GCC, "Joint Declaration 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) Development Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA programme strengthens worldwide financial ties with 26 tactical agreements," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign totally free trade pact 'soon'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA plans to a minimum of double annual US investments over next years," May 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE financial investments in Africa position nation as world's fourth-largest financier," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Truth Sheet: President Donald J.
Boards throughout Africa are entering a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Scrutiny is greater. Risk is more interconnected. And the quality of boardroom judgment will increasingly identify which organisations sustain development and which fall back. In response, Ascent Club, an exposure launchpad curating gain access to and opportunities for board- and C-level women, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is releasing a new month-to-month boardroom discussion assembling accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and business management and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session brings together board professionals to analyze the real pressures forming board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Dangers and Concerns Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Progressing regulatory and governance expectations Innovation interruption and cyber durability Long-term worth creation and sustainability imperatives Management choices boards need to prioritise heading into 2026 Climb members and speakers include: Moderator Nnoli Akpedeye MD/CEO, Contego Servo Limited Speakers Sarah Ajose-Adeogun Handling Partner, Teasoo Consulting Ochanya R.

Deborah David CFO, Powergas It is a convening of executives contributing straight to governance, threat oversight, and strategic instructions within their organisations. Through this collaboration, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are purposefully producing a repeating forum that surface areas board-level insight, enhances trustworthy female governance voices, and expands access to the tactical thinking emerging from Africa's conference rooms.
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The GCC ETF market gone into Q1 2026 in a consolidation phase, with activity staying elevated however growth slowing down. Overall properties held broadly steady over the quarter, while trading levels indicated continued repositioning and as a reaction to geopolitical news instead of a meaningful new capital release. Global macro conditions set a tough background.
The result was a quarter defined by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional trend. Oil associated assets did well for the a lot of part. On the positive side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF introduced on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. In Q1, two more Kraneshares have actually been approved for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and will be authorized 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 across the market was broadly negative, with only 13 ETFs providing favorable returns compared to 26 in decrease. 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. Despite 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 actually reshaped the outlook for emerging market equities in between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector also faced broader macro headwinds, consisting of a more careful policy backdrop in China and worldwide risk-off belief driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy costs. Thematic ETFs Had a hard time for the a lot of part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as assessment pressures and international rate characteristics weighed on performance.
Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely concentrated, showing selective allotment rather than broad market involvement. Regardless of weak efficiency, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of products bring in new capital.
Trading activity stayed steady, with typical 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of bigger and more liquid ETFs. Most activity appears to have actually occurred in the secondary market, allowing financiers to adjust positions without considerable primary creations or redemptions. While recent geopolitical events have actually resulted in more monetary pressure on GCC countries, the area stays resistant and well capitalized to handle the circumstance.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, adding a specific niche thematic exposure focused on global luxury and customer brands. ETFs by the CMA for cross-listing on ADX.
Q1 2026 revealed some progress associating with ETFs in the GCC. We expect more worldwide and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the dispute has actually impacted sentiment and costs during the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in local possessions.
Maximizing Industrial Growth Via Strategic ExcellenceIn spite of continuous geopolitical stress and security risks throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to demonstrate durability, maintaining positive development momentum in recent years. While disputes in the wider region and global economic unpredictability remain a structural restraint, GCC countries have actually so far restricted their impact on domestic financial efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy connection, and sustained investment.
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