Major Shifts in the Future GCC Economy

Notify strategy with evidence: Use independent data on market self-confidence, growth, and customer demand to assist your strategic instructions. Validate financial investment strategies: Make sure resource allocation and efforts are backed by reputable market insight. Speed up positive choices: Gear up members of your executive group with clear, actionable insight to reach arrangement quickly and take definitive action.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA in between the GCC and the UK is a Significant 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)," May 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) Development Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA programme enhances global economic ties with 26 strategic agreements," 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 prepares to at least double annual United States financial investments over next decade," May 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE investments in Africa position country as world's fourth-largest investor," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Truth Sheet: President Donald J.

Boards throughout Africa are going into a specifying cycle. Capital is tighter. Examination is greater. Risk is more interconnected. And the quality of conference room judgment will increasingly figure out which organisations sustain development and which fall behind. In action, Ascent Club, a presence launchpad curating gain access to and opportunities for board- and C-level females, in partnership with BusinessDay, is introducing a new monthly conference room dialogue convening accomplished African female executives who actively serve at the greatest levels of governance and business management and who are members of Ascent Club.

Strategic Planning for Regional Success

This inaugural session combines board practitioners to analyze the real pressures shaping board programs today: INSIDE THE BOARDROOM: The Strategic Risks and Priorities Shaping 2026 Monetary discipline in constrained markets Developing regulatory and governance expectations Innovation disturbance and cyber strength Long-term worth production and sustainability imperatives Leadership choices boards need to prioritise heading into 2026 Ascent members and speakers consist of: Moderator 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, danger oversight, and tactical instructions within their organisations. Through this partnership, Ascent Club and BusinessDay are deliberately developing a recurring forum that surface areas board-level insight, amplifies credible 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 sign up with the conversation. #InsideTheBoardroom #ExecutiveLeadership Registration Link: . Get the most recent insights, patterns, and strategies provided directly to your inbox. Sign up with Everest Group's newsletter to stay at the leading edge of what's next.

Why Is Operational Excellence Crucial for 2026 Expansion?

Total properties held broadly steady over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued repositioning and as a reaction to geopolitical news rather than a meaningful new capital deployment. Global macro conditions set a challenging backdrop.

The result was a quarter defined by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, rather than a clear directional pattern. Oil associated assets did well for the many part. On the favorable side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF released on ADX to include more thematic ETFs. Also in Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have actually been authorized 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 unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs providing 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.

How to Leverage GCC Research for 2026 Success

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 ongoing 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 dealt with more comprehensive macro headwinds, consisting of a more cautious policy backdrop in China and worldwide risk-off belief driven by geopolitical stress and greater energy costs. Thematic ETFs also had a hard time for the most part, particularly those linked to carbon and high-growth technology, as valuation pressures and global rate characteristics weighed on efficiency.

The petrochemical ETF substantially exceeded. Flows in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allocation instead of broad market involvement. In spite of weak performance, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with just a small number of items drawing in new capital. This suggests that financiers were targeting specific direct exposures, while minimizing or turning out of others.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Utilize Market Intelligence for Success

Trading activity remained constant, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, focused in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. Most activity appears to have happened in the secondary market, making it possible for investors to change positions without significant main developments or redemptions. While current geopolitical occasions have actually resulted in more financial pressure on GCC countries, the region stays resilient and well capitalized to handle the situation.

In January, Boreas introduced its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, including a specific niche thematic exposure focused on global high-end and customer 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 introduce in April pending a final approval from ADX.

Q1 2026 revealed some progress relating to ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the conflict has actually affected sentiment and costs during the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in regional assets.

In spite of continuous geopolitical stress and security risks throughout the Middle East, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have actually continued to demonstrate resilience, maintaining positive development momentum over the last few years. While conflicts in the wider area and worldwide financial uncertainty stay a structural restriction, GCC nations have up until now limited their influence on domestic economic efficiency through strong fiscal positions, policy continuity, and continual financial investment.