Major Shifts in the 2026 Middle East Market

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ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

1 GCC, "HE GCCSG: The FTA in between the GCC and the UK is a Significant Strategic Chance to Elevate 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)," May 2025 3 IMEC, "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Passage (IMEC) Development Update," April 20254 WAM, "UAE's CEPA program reinforces global financial ties with 26 tactical 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 a minimum of double yearly United States investments over next years," Might 2025; WAM, "US$ 110 billion in UAE financial investments in Africa position nation as world's fourth-largest investor," October 2025; Whitehouse, "Truth Sheet: President Donald J.

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Ways to Leverage Market Intelligence for 2026 Success

Overall possessions held broadly consistent over the quarter, while trading levels pointed to continued rearranging and as a response to geopolitical news rather than a significant new capital release. Worldwide macro conditions set a tough background.

The outcome was a quarter specified by volatility, dispersion, and selective positioning, rather than a clear directional trend. Oil associated properties did well for the a lot of part. On the positive side, in January, the Boreas Outright High-end ETF launched on ADX to add more thematic ETFs. Also in Q1, 2 more Kraneshares have actually been approved for launch by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and will be authorized by the Abu Dhabi Stock Market (ADX). The GCC ETF universe consisted of 39 ETFs with a total AUM of $9.35 billion (since Q1 2026). Efficiency throughout the market was broadly unfavorable, with only 13 ETFs delivering favorable returns compared to 26 in decline. In general, the data reflects a market that is active but narrow, with capital and liquidity concentrated in a little subset of items.

Performance in Q1 2026 was driven by a narrow group of distinctive winners, rather than broad market strength. The leading ETFs were concentrated in specific nation exposures and commodities, especially Turkey, Saudi petrochemicals, gold, and Egypt. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt were resistant during the quarter. Saudi Arabia's oil exposure supported its local market, with Aramco reaching brand-new highs amidst higher oil prices, along with its continued capability to export oil through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which remains open.

Advanced Planning for Regional 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 favorable 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 faced more comprehensive macro headwinds, including a more careful policy backdrop in China and worldwide risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical stress and higher energy prices. Thematic ETFs Struggled for the most part, especially those linked to carbon and high-growth innovation, as valuation pressures and international rate characteristics weighed on performance.

The petrochemical ETF substantially exceeded. Circulations in Q1 2026 were modest and highly concentrated, showing selective allotment instead of broad market involvement. Regardless of weak performance, ETFs taped $27.1 million in net inflows, with only a small number of items bring in new capital. This shows that investors were targeting specific exposures, while lowering or turning out of others.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Utilize GCC Research for 2026 Success

Trading activity stayed consistent, with average 30-day volumes around 33,000 shares, concentrated in a handful of larger and more liquid ETFs. A lot of activity appears to have actually happened in the secondary market, making it possible for financiers to change positions without considerable primary productions or redemptions. While recent geopolitical occasions have led to more monetary pressure on GCC countries, the region remains resilient and well capitalized to deal with the scenario.

In January, Boreas released its S&P Global High-end UCITS ETF, adding a specific niche thematic exposure focused on international high-end 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 expected to introduce in April pending a last approval from ADX.

Q1 2026 showed some development associating with ETFs in the GCC. We anticipate more global and thematic ETFs to list in the GCC during 2026. While the dispute has affected belief and costs throughout the quarter, it has driven more volume and interest in local properties.

Despite 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 development momentum in the last few years. While conflicts in the larger region and international financial uncertainty stay a structural constraint, GCC nations have up until now restricted their effect on domestic financial performance through strong financial positions, policy continuity, and continual financial investment.