Middle East ETP News

Mideast Stocks: Gulf bourses trade lower ahead of key Fed speech

August 20, 2025--The Qatari benchmark index slipped 0.6%
Most Gulf equities were down in early trade on Wednesday as investors braced for what U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell will say about the path of interest rates at a key conference later in the week.

Saudi, UAE drive GCC assets under management growth to $2.2trln

August 14, 2025--Two countries are among major contributors to growth in mutual funds sector-BCG
The value of assets under management (AUM) across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region expanded by 9% to $2.2 trillion in 2024, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Exchanges get religion in pursuit of Muslim cryptobros

August 12, 2025--Saudi Arabia's Capital Market Authority (CMA) is planning to make investment funds available to the public via the stock markets.
The new initiative, for which it has sought public feedback, allows for certain types of "financing investment funds", which are currently only available through private placements, to be listed on the Main and Parallel Markets of the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

Exchanges get religion in pursuit of Muslim cryptobros

August 8, 2025--Binance launches Islamic investments
Mena's Muslim investors underserved
Gulf hosts 50% of global Islamic assets
Cryptocurrency exchanges including Binance are rolling out halal investment options in an effort to entice Muslim investors.

Kuwait bourse to return to debt listing and trade in 2025

July 14, 2025-The Kuwait Stock Exchange will restart the listing and trading of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), sukuk and bonds in 2025, the bourse's CEO Mohammed Saud Al-Osaimi told reporters on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia: Concluding Statement of the 2025 Article IV Mission

June 26, 2025-- Saudi Arabia's economy has demonstrated strong resilience to shocks, with non-oil economic activities expanding, inflation contained, and unemployment reaching record-low levels. While lower oil proceeds and investment-linked imports led to the emergence of twin deficits, external and fiscal buffers remain ample.
A higher-than-budgeted fiscal stance in 2025 remains appropriate to prevent procyclicality that could exacerbate the growth impact of lower oil prices.

GCC: Growth on the Rise, but Smart Spending Will Shape a Thriving Future

June 19, 2025-Economic growth across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is projected to increase in the medium-term to 3.2% in 2025 and 4.50% in 2026. This growth is likely to be driven by the expected rollback of OPEC+ oil production cuts and robust expansion of non-oil sectors.

Saudi Exchange leads market losses across the GCC

June 16, 2025--Tadawul hits 20-month low
Qatar index drops 4%
Fears of a wider regional conflict

Hong Kong and Saudi work on cross-border financial products

May 30, 2025--Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia are considering allowing more cross-border financial products as the two markets seek to deepen financial ties amid rising trade uncertainties.
An exchange-traded fund tracking bonds issued by the Saudi government started trading in Hong Kong on Thursday, the first fixed-income fund listed in the territory to offer such exposure.

Growth in the Middle East and North Africa Forecast to Moderately Accelerate in 2025 Amidst Uncertainty

April 23, 2025—According to the World Bank's latest Middle East and North Africa Economic Update, entitled Shifting Gears: The Private Sector as an Engine of Growth in the Middle East and North Africa, the region is estimated to have grown at a modest 1.9 percent in 2024 and growth is forecast to moderately rise to 2.6 percent in 2025.

GCC on track to see an uptick in local currency sukuk

April 10, 2025-In the GCC, Saudi Arabia has been the only market ahead of the curve, having established its Saudi Riyal Local Sukuk Program in 2017.

Qatar's Economy Grows 2.4% in 2024, Q4 GDP Up 6.1% Year-on-Year

March 21, 2025--Qatar's economy achieved a real growth rate of 2.4 percent in 2024, totaling QR713 billion in constant prices, up from QR697 billion in 2023. As per information from the National Statistics Center at the National Planning Council, published today, Qatar's real GDP increased by 6.1% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2024, hitting QR 181 billion, up from QR 170.1 billion during the same timeframe in 2023.

Egypt's economic growth set to improve in Q2, driven by industry: minister

March 20, 2025--Egypt aims for qualitative growth -sustainable growth based on long-term investments, a green economy, entrepreneurship, technology, and digital transformation
Egypt's economic growth is expected to continue its upward trend in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, according to initial indicators, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, said on Wednesday.

Qatar: QSE fully waives trading fees on ETFs, aims improved market liquidity

March 11, 2025--This decision reflects the QSE's commitment to stimulating ETF trading by reducing financial burdens on investors, increasing market liquidity, and enhancing investment competitiveness.
This decision reflects the QSE's commitment to stimulating ETF trading by reducing financial burdens on investors, increasing market liquidity, and enhancing investment competitiveness.

IMF-Financial Conditions and Their Growth Implications for Qatar: Qatar

March 7, 2025-Summary
This paper develops a Financial Conditions Index (FCI) for Qatar and uses the Growth-at-Risk (GaR) framework to examine the impact of financial conditions on Qatar's non-hydrocarbon growth. The analysis shows that the FCI is an important leading indicator of Qatar's non-hydrocarbon growth, highlighting its predictive potential for future economic performance.

IMF-Artificial Intelligence in Qatar: Assessing the Potential Economic Impacts

March 7, 2025-Summary
Qatar has been actively preparing to embrace the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), allowing it to lead its Emerging Market peers in AI readiness. Qatar's AI exposure has increased significantly over the years, and increasing AI adoption is assessed to yield more opportunities than risks for the country's labor force, thanks to the private sector's contribution in increasing jobs that are more likely to benefit from AI-driven productivity gains

Saudi Tadawul profit surges 60% on higher trading value

March 3, 2025-Saudi Tadawul Group, the owner and operator of the kingdom's stock exchange, reported a 59 percent jump in 2024 profit, as annual trading value and listing services revenues rose by 38 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

Egypt's economic growth likely to accelerate, says bank

February 28, 2025-Economic growth in Egypt, the third-largest Arab economy, is expected to accelerate this year, driven by expansion in several sectors including transport, financial services and housing, according to a European development bank.

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange welcomes the listing of Chimera iBoxx US Treasury Bill ETF

February 20, 2025-Provides direct exposure to short-term US government debt, known for its low risk and stability
First ETF of its kind in the region
ADX's 16th ETF listing and first of 2025
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), one of the fastest-growing exchanges in the world, announced today the listing of Chimera iBoxx US Treasury Bill, a newly launched exchange-traded fund (ETF) managed by Lunate Capital.

Economic growth in MENA, on track as oil production cuts ease

January 17, 2025--Non-hydrocarbon economic activity to remain robust across the region, says Moody's
Economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will accelerate to 2.9% in 2025 from an estimated 2.1% in 2024 amid partial unwinding of oil production cuts, Moody's Ratings said.

Indxx Licenses Bitcoin Reference Index to Migdal Mutual Funds Ltd. for an ETF

December 31, 2024-Indxx, a provider of indexing solutions for exchange traded funds (ETFs), is pleased to announce the licensing of the Indxx Bitcoin Reference Index to Migdal Mutual Funds Ltd. as the underlying benchmark for the MTF (4D) Indxx Bitcoin Reference Index Fund (5139886) which began trading today on the Tel Aviv Exchange.

Expect a more subdued Dubai bourse in 2025

December 25, 2024-Dubai bourse up 24.5% this year
Kuwait shows strong potential
Oil prices could slow growth
Following a stellar 2024, Dubai's index is likely to join other Gulf bourses in experiencing a more subdued 2025.

Italy's Azimut and China Universal team up on Abu Dhabi ETF link

December 19, 2024----Azimut will launch a fund in Abu Dhabi to invest in a China Universal ETF in Shanghai and vice versa
Fidelity Investments will become the first asset manager to convert an index mutual fund into an ETF, according to industry analysts.

IMF-Kuwait: Selected Issues

December 9, 2024-Summary
The economy remains in recession, but a recovery has begun in the non-oil sector, and inflation is moderating. Lower oil prices and production have weakened the external and fiscal balances, while financial stability has been maintained.

BlackRock gets Abu Dhabi license to tap into region's capital markets

November 18, 2024--The US asset manager's Abu Dhabi move comes weeks it announced plans to set up its regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia
The world's biggest asset manager BlackRock Inc has obtained a commercial license in Abu Dhabi and has revealed plans to seek regulatory approval to operate in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

Mideast Stocks: Saudi bourse falls on oil; Qatar gains

November 10, 2024--Saudi Arabia's benchmark index fell 0.2% in a choppy trade
Saudi Arabia's stock market ended slightly lower on Sunday after a fall in oil prices at the end of last week, while banking shares helped lift Qatar's benchmark index.

ETF tracking HK-listed equities debuts on Saudi Exchange

November 1, 2024--A new exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking Hong Kong-listed stocks,the SAB Invest Hang Seng Hong Kong ETF,has debuted on the Saudi Exchange on Thursday,following the launch of Saudi Arabia's first ETF tracking the Hong Kong equity market on the Saudi bourse on Wednesday.

Duo dream big with Abu Dhabi's first tokenised treasuries fund

October 31, 2024--Fund launched on ADGM
Blockchain-based token
Targeting crypto users
The first tokenised treasury bill fund licensed in the Abu Dhabi Global Market launched on Thursday, with its creators hoping to attract $100 million from investors within a year.

UAE non-oil economy to grow 4% in 2025, driven by a surge in investment inflows

October 18, 2024-Non-oil growth will drive the UAE's economy in 2025, with a 4% growth projection, driven by higher investment inflows, which will partly be channelled through the financial and real estate markets.

Modest Growth Forecast for Economies in the Middle East and North Africa Amid Rising Uncertainty

October 16, 2024--While GDP is subdued in 2024, accelerating reforms would spur inclusive growth
Growth continues to be subdued in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) because of uncertainties heightened by the conflict in the region, says the World Bank in its latest semi-annual MENA Economic Update, entitled Growth in the Middle East and North Africa.

Saudi Arabia leads in stock lending as short selling grows

September 25, 2024--Short selling requires stock lending
Lending fee revenue rising
Saudi companies dominate

Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's most active market for stock lending- an important part of the process of short selling-and demand from borrowers is likely to increase as more sophisticated investors start trading, new research suggests.