Expanding Corporate Growth Within Dubai and the GCC

Inform strategy with evidence: Usage independent data on market confidence, growth, and customer need to assist your tactical instructions. Verify financial investment plans: Ensure resource allocation and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Accelerate positive decisions: Equip members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach contract quickly and take decisive action.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

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 In 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 enhances global financial ties with 26 strategic contracts," March 20255 Muscat Daily, "Oman, India set to sign open market pact 'soon'," September 20256 India Embassy Qatar, "India-Qatar Bilateral Relations," June 20257 Reuters, "Qatar's QIA plans to at least double yearly US investments over next years," May 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE investments in Africa position country as world's fourth-largest financier," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Fact Sheet: President Donald J.

Boards across Africa are entering a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Analysis is greater. Threat 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 visibility launchpad curating access and chances for board- and C-level women, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is introducing a new regular monthly conference room discussion assembling accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the highest levels of governance and corporate management and who are members of Climb Club.

Advanced Planning for Regional Leadership

This inaugural session combines board practitioners to take a look at the real pressures shaping board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Dangers and Top Priorities Forming 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Progressing regulatory and governance expectations Innovation disturbance and cyber durability Long-lasting value creation and sustainability imperatives Management decisions boards should prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent members and speakers consist of: Mediator Nnoli Akpedeye MD/CEO, Contego Servo Limited Speakers Sarah Ajose-Adeogun Managing Partner, Teasoo Consulting Ochanya R.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Deborah David CFO, Powergas It is an assembling of executives contributing directly to governance, threat oversight, and tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are purposefully developing a repeating forum that surfaces board-level insight, amplifies trustworthy female governance voices, and broadens access to the strategic 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 recent insights, trends, and techniques provided directly to your inbox. Sign up with Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the forefront of what's next.

How Is Operational Excellence Essential for 2026 Growth?

The GCC ETF market entered Q1 2026 in a debt consolidation phase, with activity remaining raised however development slowing down. Overall properties 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. International macro conditions set a challenging backdrop.

The GCC ETF universe made up 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Efficiency across the marketplace was broadly negative, with just 13 ETFs providing positive returns compared to 26 in decline. Overall, the data shows a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of products.

Performance in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, instead of broad market strength. The leading ETFs were focused in specific country exposures and commodities, especially Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were durable throughout the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil direct exposure supported its local market, with Aramco reaching brand-new highs in the middle of higher oil rates, as well as its continued ability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which stays open.

Corporate Planning for Regional Excellence

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 positive returns for the quarter. The ongoing Middle East dispute and resulting energy shock have improved the outlook for emerging market equities in between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.

The sector also dealt with wider macro headwinds, consisting of a more mindful policy background in China and global risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical tensions and higher energy rates. Thematic ETFs likewise had a hard time for the most part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as appraisal pressures and worldwide rate characteristics weighed on efficiency.

The petrochemical ETF substantially outperformed. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely concentrated, showing selective allowance rather than broad market participation. In spite of weak efficiency, ETFs recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a small number of products attracting brand-new capital. This shows that financiers were targeting specific exposures, while decreasing or turning out of others.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Why Does Business Excellence Vital for Future Growth?

Trading activity remained consistent, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of bigger and more liquid ETFs. A lot of activity appears to have occurred in the secondary market, enabling investors to adjust positions without significant main creations or redemptions. While current geopolitical occasions have actually led to more financial pressure on GCC countries, the region remains resilient and well capitalized to deal with the circumstance.

In January, Boreas introduced its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic direct exposure concentrated on international high-end 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 expected to introduce in April pending a final approval from ADX.

Q1 2026 revealed some progress connecting to ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more worldwide and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC throughout 2026. While the conflict has actually impacted belief and rates during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in local possessions.

Regardless of ongoing geopolitical stress and security risks throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to demonstrate strength, maintaining favorable growth momentum recently. While conflicts in the wider region and worldwide economic uncertainty stay a structural constraint, GCC nations have actually so far restricted their influence on domestic financial performance through strong financial positions, policy continuity, and sustained investment.