Predicting the 2026 Middle East Business Environment thumbnail

Predicting the 2026 Middle East Business Environment

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Verifying the development of AI in the region, a report released by PwC earlier this month stated that the usage of AI amongst the workforce in the Middle East continues to rise, with 75 percent of employees in the area utilizing it in their tasks over the past 12 months.

In November, a report released by KPMG highlighted Saudi Arabia's development in the technology sector and stated that 84 percent of CEOs in the nation are ready to deploy AI responsibly, well above the 76 percent worldwide criteria, supported by the Kingdom's data governance ecosystem, including nationwide initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Expert System Authority.

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

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

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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 depend on each other for necessary items.

In 2015 Latin America provided nearly half the meat imports into the GCC and 36 percent of the area's total sugar imports, it added. Brazil is without a doubt the biggest trading partner for countries in the area, followed by Argentina and Mexico. Among the Latin American states, the GCC counts on Brazil for meat (primarily poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for automobiles and Chile for wood products, said a statement.

The online forum was organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the theme "Shifting Synergies", explores how services can benefit from the changing patterns of international need and what role Dubai can play in assisting in the next step in company relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not just in the UAE and in the GCC but worldwide too, by acting as an information and research study centre, by supplying business paperwork, offering legal services, assisting in networking chances through signature service occasions and providing almost every conceivable company solution, it specified.

GCC growth will enhance in 2026, led by faster expansion in hydrocarbons; non-oil development will stay solid however slow a little. Non-oil activity will be supported by population growth, new industries, and public investment; inflation will stay soft, while financial policy will loosen up. Hydrocarbons sector development will accelerate, balancing out in part lower oil prices; financial balances will be mixed, with surpluses in UAE and Qatar, but deficits continue somewhere else.

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SHARJAH (WAM) The GCC and larger Middle East area is poised for the next wave of investments in AI and tech-led sectors, with business-friendly and innovation-focused government policies bring in funds and skill, said service leaders at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival (SEF 2026). Throughout a panel discussion on the very first day of SEF 2026 taking a look at "What Does the Next Year of Equity Capital Appear Like", speakers agreed that the emerging local investment landscape appears appealing.

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Responding to a question on regional startups' potential customers of benefiting from recent investments in digital infrastructure, Tala Al Jabri, Creator and Managing Partner of Wyld VC stated: "We have a lot going for us in the area: the low cost of energy, an extremely progressive federal government that is ahead in policy, regulation and information privacy; and truly strong universities that are progressively looking at AI and ending up technical skill in AI."She added: "Our ultimate objective is to see this area, particularly the GCC, end up being an AI superpower.

Our biggest chauffeur right now is investing in talent, because in the AI race, it's the technical talent that really wins.

"International growth funds are coming in, which shows clear indications of maturity of the environment The capability of the UAE and local federal governments to draw in skill; their innovation-first method, abundance of capital here as well as inflow worldwide are the essential structure blocks."Paula Tavangar, Chief Investment Officer at Injaz Capital stated that within the area, Saudi Arabia is leading the number of handle the highest worths, with 250 "largest ticket size" deals recorded in 2025 in the country.