The historic events of 2011 slowed launch activity of mutual funds in the MENA region, from more than 60 in 2010 to 52 in 2011. This was evident in conventional fund launches - from 42 in 2010 to 34 in 2011- while Islamic fund launches decreased only slightly from 19 to 18.

More than half of the funds launched in 2011 were of the equity asset class, traditionally the most common one. Compared to two exchange-traded funds launched in 2010, only one ETF was launched in 2011, emphasizing the slow progress of this nascent product in the region……………………………………….Full Article: Source