In 2026, every IC discussion starts with the same question
In 2026, every IC discussion I’m in starts with the same question: how do we price a world where Middle East conflict is stalling disinflation, keeping energy risk premia elevated, and delaying the ‘easy’ rate‑cut narrative?
In 2026, every IC discussion I’m in starts with the same question: how do we price a world where Middle East conflict is stalling disinflation, keeping energy risk premia elevated, and delaying the ‘easy’ rate‑cut narrative?
For MENA allocators, this is not just equity or real‑estate risk, it’s the backdrop for private credit, infrastructure, and transition financing, where bank balance sheets are constrained, project pipelines in GCC/Egypt are massive, and alternative capital is being pulled into system‑level assets.
My 2026 macro focus as CIO: build portfolios that assume higher‑for‑longer geopolitical volatility, funding high‑quality cash‑flowing infrastructure and private credit deals, stress‑testing refinancing and duration risk, and treating oil and rates as policy variables, not just tickers on a screen.
And as tempting as it always appears, I shall pass on hit and run opportunities.
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Eighteen years in investment management, M&A and financial technology. A CFA Charterholder, he leads investment analysis, valuation and fund structuring across Significa's advisory and investment practices, and teaches valuation and fund structures in the CVC Builder curriculum. Concurrently Chief M&A and Growth Officer at AlternativeSoft in London; co-founder of MarkeScope, which developed the first stock-screening solution to incorporate risk measures. Treasurer of CFA Society Egypt; BSc Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Cairo University.