The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ETF market has evolved into one of the region's fastest-growing investment segments, offering investors access to domestic equities, sukuk, international markets, and thematic investment strategies. This guide highlights the best-performing ETFs in 2026, examines the largest GCC-focused funds, and explores income, international, and thematic opportunities across the region.
This guide presents the three best-performing ETFs across the full GCC universe year-to-date, a dedicated section on GCC-focused equity ETFs, income ETF options, and a comprehensive listing ranked by AUM.
How Large is the GCC ETF Market in 2026?
How Fast Is the GCC ETF Industry Growing?
The GCC ETF market has grown materially in scale and product breadth over the past two years. As of June 2026, approximately 39 ETFs are listed across the region's four exchanges: the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), Saudi Exchange (Tadawul), Dubai Financial Market (DFM), and Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE), with combined assets under management of approximately $9.35 billion, according to the Nukoud GCC Market Monitor Q1 2026. Recent ETF launches have expanded the GCC market beyond traditional equity and sukuk strategies. New products include QUANTM UH (quantum computing), AIPOWR UH (AI infrastructure), KWIN UH (alternative income), LUXURY UH (luxury goods), ALBILADS AB (Saudi equities), and YAQEENES AB (ESG/MENA exposure), highlighting the growing diversification of the regional ETF market.
Trading activity remains concentrated in a relatively small number of funds. On Tadawul, the Albilad Gold ETF (ALBIGOLD AB) and the Alinma and Albilad sukuk ETFs each trade approximately 95,000 units per day on average, while on ADX, the Boreas Solactive Quantum Computing UCITS ETF (QUANTM UH) leads with more than 90,000 units traded per day. The table below summarises the key characteristics of the GCC ETF market.
Which GCC-Listed ETFs Have Delivered the Best Returns in 2026?
The following three funds are the strongest performers year-to-date across all GCC-listed ETFs with sufficient trading history. Data sourced from Bloomberg and exchange filings as of June 19, 2026.
The Top Performing ETFs in 2026
Boreas Solactive Quantum Computing UCITS ETF (QUANTM UH, ADX) | YTD: 43.65%
The top-performing GCC-listed ETF in 2026. QUANTM tracks the Solactive Quantum Computing Index, which comprises 26 global quantum technology companies. The 43.65% YTD return reflects accelerating commercial milestones in quantum hardware and sustained government funding programmes. At a TER of 0.49%, it is among the most cost-efficient thematic ETFs in the GCC. The 3-month average daily volume of 90,214 units is the highest of any Boreas fund on ADX, signalling robust two-way liquidity for a fund of its size ($12.95M AUM).
Chimera S&P Turkey Shariah ETF (TURKI UH, ADX) | YTD: 26.59%
With a 26.59% YTD gain and a 12-month return of 50.03%, TURKI is the single best-returning equity ETF available to GCC investors through a regulated local exchange. The fund tracks 22 Shariah-screened Turkish equities from the S&P Turkey BMI Shariah Index. Turkish equity re-rating has been driven by currency stabilisation, improved current account dynamics, and renewed foreign institutional interest. AUM of $88.17M makes it the largest UAE-managed single-country equity ETF.
QE Index ETF (QETF QD, QSE) | YTD: 9.81%
The QE Index ETF is the GCC's best-performing domestic Gulf equity ETF in 2026. It tracks the QE Index Qatar's 20-stock flagship benchmark and has delivered a 9.81% YTD return and 11.41% 12-month gain. The 4.36% 12-month yield makes it among the highest-yielding GCC equity ETFs with meaningful AUM. At $112.23M AUM and a 3M average daily volume of 3,965 units, QETF is among the most liquid Gulf equity ETFs in the region.
Largest GCC-Focused Equity ETFs
The funds below invest directly in GCC market equities (the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait). This section is for investors whose primary interest is GCC regional equity exposure rather than global thematics, ranked by AUM.
Qatar has been the strongest-performing domestic GCC market in 2026, led by QETF (9.81%) and QATR (3.08%). Saudi equity ETFs have generated broadly consistent mid-single-digit returns, while UAE equity performance has been more modest. The Chimera S&P Kuwait ETF (KWTI) has gained 3.50% YTD and 12.62% over 12 months, offering access to the fourth-largest GCC market through a single ADX-listed product.
Top Yielding ETFs in the GCC
For yield-seeking investors, the GCC offers a range of income-oriented ETFs across equities and fixed income. The table below covers funds with verified 12-month yield data as of June 2026, ranked by yield.
Al Rayan Qatar ETF (QATR) leads GCC equity income at 7.22% yield. On the fixed income side, BONDAE (UAE bonds, 4.59%) edges out SUKUK (global sukuk, 4.42%) on yield, both offering competitive returns within an AED wrapper. The Alinma Saudi Sukuk ETF (ALINMETF) at 3.42% yield and 3.47% YTD is the preferred Tadawul sukuk option. Its SAR 342.67M AUM and 95,048 unit 3M average daily volume make it the most liquid fixed income ETF in the Saudi market.
Which GCC ETFs Have the Lowest Fees?
Cost matters across all asset classes. The table below highlights the TER range across key GCC-listed ETFs, from the GCC's only zero-fee product to the higher-cost single-country equity funds.
Top GCC-listed ETFs by AUM.
*SAR AUM converted at 3.75 SAR/USD.
The GCC ETF market remains highly concentrated, with the top 10 funds accounting for the overwhelming majority of regional ETF assets. Cross-listed international products dominate the rankings, led by KWEB and AGIX, while QATR, QETF, ALINMETF, and CHADX15 are among the largest GCC-focused ETFs available to regional investors. This highlights the growing depth of the GCC ETF ecosystem while also illustrating the continued importance of global exposure within regional exchanges.
Which International ETFs Are Most Popular in the GCC?
International equity ETFs account for a significant share of GCC ETF assets, allowing investors to access markets such as the US, Turkey, Japan, China, and Pakistan through local exchanges. The funds below represent some of the most widely followed international ETFs listed on ADX and Tadawul, combining strong performance, sizable assets, and broad investor interest.
Top International ETFs in the GCC (June 2026)
Top Thematic ETFs in the GCC
Thematic ETFs invest in long-term structural trends such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, carbon markets, and luxury consumption rather than specific countries or regions. The GCC thematic ETF market is concentrated on ADX and has expanded rapidly with new launches from Boreas and KraneShares. Three thematic ETFs currently have sufficient trading history to evaluate 2026 performance, while the remaining products are relatively recent listings.
Bottom Line
The GCC ETF market in 2026 has been characterised by strong performance from international and thematic ETFs alongside steadier returns from domestic Gulf equity and sukuk funds. While global and thematic products have generated the strongest gains, regional equity ETFs have continued to provide diversified exposure, income, and lower volatility for GCC investors.
For investors building a GCC core allocation, the most efficient combination in 2026 is: ALBILADSM AB for Saudi exposure (0.55% TER, 6.87% YTD), UAED UH for UAE (0.60% TER, 3.31% yield), and QETF QD for Qatar (0.50% TER, 9.81% YTD, 4.36% yield). This three-fund GCC equity portfolio covers the three largest ETF exchanges at a blended TER well under 0.60%.
On income, the GCC fixed income suite is deep enough to be genuinely useful. BONDAE and SUKUK on ADX, alongside ALINMETF and BILADETF on Tadawul, collectively span UAE bonds, global sukuk, Saudi short sukuk, and Saudi long sukuk, all at TERs between 0.40% and 0.75%. Investors who want yield without equity volatility have credible options across all three exchanges.
The one structural caveat for every GCC ETF investor: secondary market liquidity remains uneven. Funds like TURKI (811 units/day average) and KRBN (16 units/day) carry meaningful bid-ask risk despite their headline performance figures. AUM alone does not guarantee tradability; always check the 3M average daily volume alongside AUM before sizing a position.
