Middle East & Africa

The new trading window – 9am to 4pm WAT – follows the recent reclassification of Nigeria from an unclassified to frontier market status, authorised by FTSE Russell.  

South Africa needs to change its mindset and start thinking more deliberately about the long term, asserted one buy-side panellist speaking at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) SA Trade Connect 2026 conference on Thursday. 

The two firms are currently the only CCPs in the region to receive the accreditation; move is expected to strengthen connectivity between markets in Europe and the United Arab Emirates.   

The collaboration supports Amundi’s efforts to expand its footprint in the Middle East and follows increasing demand for investment solutions across the region. 

BlackRock and BNP Paribas executed the inaugural transaction on the platform; the launch is set to help support the growth of Saudi Arabian capital markets and boost global investor interest.  

The partnership will now cover EquiLend’s full suite of post-trade and trading automation. 

Two new post-trade subsidiaries have also been announced, helping support the securities markets.  

Market onlookers from Grasshopper Asia, FIS, Eurex, Tradeweb, and Sustainable Trading provide an additional view on what they believe will be the key macro-economic factors in the year to come, delving into their potential impacts in Europe, the US, Asia, and beyond.

The move builds on the bank’s drive to expand securities lending in the UAE and wider Middle East.

New location will help the firm better deliver services across the Middle East and North Africa region.