Emerging Strategic Trends Shaping the 2026 GCC Market

Verifying the development of AI in the region, a report launched by PwC earlier this month said that the usage of AI amongst the workforce in the Middle East continues to increase, with 75 percent of workers in the area using it in their jobs over the previous 12 months.

In November, a report released by KPMG highlighted Saudi Arabia's development in the innovation sector and said that 84 percent of CEOs in the country are prepared to release AI responsibly, well above the 76 percent global criteria, supported by the Kingdom's data governance ecosystem, consisting of nationwide initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Expert System Authority.

Policymakers are thinking holistically about how to make the region attractive, consisting of having more pragmatic laws to permit for experimentation and development," stated the report.

Leading business leaders, policymakers and financiers from the GCC and Latin America just recently checked out how nations from the 2 areas can grow trade in between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 local and global policymakers, heads of state, CEOs, company leaders, financiers, and industry specialists attended the first Global Company Forum Latin America held at the Atlantis Palm - Dubai.

Methods for Optimising GCC Operations in 2026

In 2015 the GCC made up of the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, imported $11 billion worth of goods from Latin America. And exports to Latin America from the area were $5.6 billion, a declaration from organisers stated. Both areas rely on each other for necessary products.

In 2015 Latin America supplied nearly half the meat imports into the GCC and 36 percent of the region's overall sugar imports, it included. Brazil is by far the largest trading partner for nations in the region, followed by Argentina and Mexico. Among the Latin American states, the GCC depends on Brazil for meat (mainly poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for cars and Chile for wood items, said a statement.

The forum was arranged by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the style "Moving Synergies", explores how companies can take advantage of the changing patterns of international demand and what function Dubai can play in facilitating the next step in service relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not only in the UAE and in the GCC however worldwide too, by functioning as an info and research centre, by offering company documentation, offering legal services, facilitating networking opportunities through signature company occasions and delivering nearly every conceivable service solution, it specified.

GCC development will reinforce in 2026, led by faster growth in hydrocarbons; non-oil growth will stay strong however slow a little. Non-oil activity will be supported by population development, brand-new markets, and public financial investment; inflation will stay soft, while financial policy will loosen. Hydrocarbons sector development will accelerate, balancing out in part lower oil rates; fiscal balances will be blended, with surpluses in UAE and Qatar, but deficits continue in other places.

Accelerating Regional Corporate Expansion through Strategy

SHARJAH (WAM) The GCC and wider Middle East region is poised for the next wave of investments in AI and tech-led sectors, with business-friendly and innovation-focused federal government policies bring in funds and talent, said business leaders at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival (SEF 2026). During a panel conversation on the very first day of SEF 2026 analyzing "What Does the Next Year of Venture Capital Look Like", speakers concurred that the emerging local financial investment landscape appears appealing.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Responding to a concern on regional startups' potential customers of gaining from recent financial investments in digital infrastructure, Tala Al Jabri, Creator and Managing Partner of Wyld VC stated: "We have a lot going for us in the region: the low cost of energy, a really progressive government that is ahead in policy, policy and information personal privacy; and actually strong instructional organizations that are progressively taking a look at AI and ending up technical talent in AI."She included: "Our supreme objective is to see this region, particularly the GCC, end up being an AI superpower.

Our most significant chauffeur right now is investing in talent, since in the AI race, it's the technical skill that actually wins."Focusing on the attractiveness of the area for investors, Christos Mastoras, Creator and Managing Partner of Iliad Partners, said: "I think we are very lucky to onboard the 3 largest banks of Greece as LPs [Limited Partners] for investment in the region.

"International development funds are coming in, which shows clear indications of maturity of the ecosystem The ability of the UAE and local federal governments to bring in skill; their innovation-first technique, abundance of capital here in addition to inflow internationally are the key foundation."Paula Tavangar, Chief Financial Investment Officer at Injaz Capital stated that within the area, Saudi Arabia is leading the variety of handle the highest worths, with 250 "largest ticket size" offers recorded in 2025 in the nation.