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Inform technique with proof: Usage independent information on market confidence, growth, and client need to direct your strategic instructions. Validate investment strategies: Guarantee resource allotment and initiatives are backed by reliable market insight. Speed up positive choices: Equip members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach agreement rapidly and take decisive action.
Capital is tighter. And the quality of boardroom judgment will progressively determine which organisations sustain growth and which fall behind. In action, Ascent Club, a visibility launchpad curating access and chances for board- and C-level women, in collaboration with BusinessDay, is launching 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 Climb Club.
This inaugural session unites board practitioners to take a look at the real pressures shaping board agendas today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Risks and Concerns Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Developing regulative and governance expectations Innovation interruption and cyber durability Long-term worth creation and sustainability imperatives Management choices boards should prioritise heading into 2026 Climb 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 directly to governance, threat oversight, and strategic instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Climb Club and BusinessDay are deliberately producing a recurring online forum that surfaces board-level insight, magnifies trustworthy 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 sign up with the conversation. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the newest insights, patterns, and strategies delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up with Everest Group's newsletter to remain at the leading edge of what's next.
The GCC ETF market gone into Q1 2026 in a debt consolidation phase, with activity remaining raised but development slowing. Overall assets held broadly stable over the quarter, while trading levels indicated continued repositioning and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a significant brand-new capital implementation. Worldwide macro conditions set a challenging backdrop.
The outcome was a quarter defined by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional pattern. Oil associated assets succeeded for the many part. On the favorable side, in January, the Boreas Outright Luxury ETF introduced on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. In Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have actually been authorized for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and are about to be approved by the Abu Dhabi Stock Market (ADX). The GCC ETF universe made up 39 ETFs with an overall AUM of $9.35 billion (since Q1 2026). Performance across the marketplace was broadly negative, with only 13 ETFs delivering positive returns compared to 26 in decline. In general, the data shows a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a small subset of products.
Efficiency in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of idiosyncratic winners, instead of broad market strength. The leading ETFs were concentrated in specific country direct exposures and commodities, especially Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were durable throughout the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil direct exposure supported its regional market, with Aramco reaching brand-new highs amidst greater oil costs, as well as its continued ability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which stays open.
Egypt provided strong performance 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 continuous Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock have actually improved the outlook for emerging market equities between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector also faced broader macro headwinds, including a more cautious policy background in China and global risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical tensions and greater energy prices. Thematic ETFs Had a hard time for the a lot of part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth innovation, as assessment pressures and international rate dynamics weighed on performance.
Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allowance rather than broad market involvement. Despite weak efficiency, ETFs recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a small number of items bring in brand-new capital.
Trading activity stayed consistent, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. Many activity appears to have actually taken place in the secondary market, enabling financiers to adjust positions without substantial main developments or redemptions.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a niche thematic direct exposure focused on worldwide 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 anticipated to launch in April pending a final approval from 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 impacted sentiment and prices during the quarter, it has actually driven more volume and interest in regional properties.
Managing Legal Unpredictability in Emerging Middle East MarketsRegardless of continuous geopolitical tensions and security dangers throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to show resilience, maintaining positive growth momentum recently. While conflicts in the larger region and global economic uncertainty stay a structural constraint, GCC countries have so far restricted their influence on domestic economic efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy connection, and sustained investment.
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