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Inform method with evidence: Use independent information on market confidence, growth, and client need to guide your tactical instructions. Confirm financial investment strategies: Guarantee resource allocation and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Accelerate confident decisions: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach arrangement rapidly and take decisive action.
Capital is tighter. And the quality of boardroom judgment will significantly identify which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In response, Ascent Club, an exposure launchpad curating gain access to and opportunities for board- and C-level ladies, in cooperation with BusinessDay, is launching a brand-new monthly boardroom discussion convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and corporate leadership and who are members of Ascent Club.
This inaugural session brings together board practitioners to analyze the real pressures forming board agendas today: INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM: The Strategic Threats and Top Priorities Shaping 2026 Financial discipline in constrained markets Progressing regulative and governance expectations Technology disturbance and cyber strength Long-lasting value production and sustainability imperatives Leadership choices boards need to 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, danger oversight, and tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this collaboration, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are deliberately developing 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 conference rooms.
4 March 2026 6:00 PM WAT Zoom Register to join the discussion. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the latest insights, trends, and techniques delivered directly to your inbox. Join Everest Group's newsletter to stay at the forefront of what's next.
Overall properties held broadly consistent over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a significant new capital deployment. Global macro conditions set a challenging background.
The outcome was a quarter defined by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, instead of a clear directional trend. Oil associated possessions did well for the many part. On the favorable side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF launched on ADX to include 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 authorized by the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange (ADX). The GCC ETF universe consisted of 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (as of Q1 2026). Efficiency throughout the market was broadly unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs delivering favorable returns compared to 26 in decline. In general, the information shows a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity focused in a small subset of items.
Comparing Traditional Systems and Future Business StrategiesPerformance 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, particularly Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were resilient during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil exposure supported its local market, with Aramco reaching new highs amidst greater oil costs, as well as its continued capability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which remains open.
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 posted favorable returns for the quarter. The continuous Middle East dispute and resulting energy shock have actually reshaped the outlook for emerging market equities between the oil-haves and the oil-have-nots.
The sector likewise dealt with wider macro headwinds, consisting of a more careful policy background in China and global risk-off belief driven by geopolitical tensions and greater energy rates. Thematic ETFs likewise had a hard time for the a lot of part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth innovation, as evaluation pressures and global rate characteristics weighed on performance.
The petrochemical ETF considerably surpassed. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and extremely focused, reflecting selective allotment rather than broad market participation. Regardless of weak efficiency, ETFs recorded $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a little number of items drawing in new capital. This suggests that financiers were targeting particular direct exposures, while reducing or rotating out of others.
Trading activity remained stable, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of bigger and more liquid ETFs. Most activity appears to have actually taken place in the secondary market, allowing investors to change positions without considerable main creations or redemptions.
In January, Boreas released its S&P Global Luxury UCITS ETF, including a niche thematic direct exposure concentrated on international luxury 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 anticipated to release in April pending a final approval from ADX.
Q1 2026 showed some progress associating with ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the conflict has impacted sentiment and prices throughout the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in local possessions.
Will Dubai Lead Industrial Growth during 2026?Despite ongoing geopolitical stress and security dangers across the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have continued to demonstrate resilience, maintaining favorable development momentum over the last few years. While conflicts in the broader region and international economic unpredictability stay a structural restraint, GCC countries have so far restricted their effect on domestic economic performance through strong fiscal positions, policy connection, and sustained financial investment.
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