Emerging Strategic Shifts Shaping the 2026 GCC Market

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

In November, a report released by KPMG highlighted Saudi Arabia's development in the innovation sector and stated that 84 percent of CEOs in the country are prepared to deploy AI responsibly, well above the 76 percent international benchmark, supported by the Kingdom's data governance ecosystem, consisting of national efforts led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority.

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

Leading company leaders, policymakers and investors from the GCC and Latin America recently explored how nations from the two areas can grow trade between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 regional and international policymakers, heads of state, CEOs, business leaders, investors, and market professionals went to the first Global Business Forum Latin America held at the Atlantis Palm - Dubai.

Can Market Analytics Define Dubai Industrial Growth?

In 2015 the GCC made up of the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, imported $11 billion worth of items from Latin America. And exports to Latin America from the region were $5.6 billion, a declaration from organisers said. Both regions count on each other for vital items.

In 2015 Latin America supplied almost half the meat imports into the GCC and 36 percent of the region's total sugar imports, it included. Brazil is by far the largest trading partner for nations in the area, followed by Argentina and Mexico. Amongst the Latin American states, the GCC depends on Brazil for meat (primarily poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for automobiles and Chile for wood products, said a declaration.

The online forum was organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the style "Moving Synergies", checks out how companies can gain from the changing patterns of global need and what role Dubai can play in assisting in the next step in service relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not just in the UAE and in the GCC but worldwide too, by functioning as an info and research centre, by offering organization documents, providing legal services, facilitating networking opportunities by means of signature business events and providing practically every imaginable organization solution, it mentioned.

GCC growth will strengthen in 2026, led by faster expansion in hydrocarbons; non-oil development will stay solid but slow slightly. Non-oil activity will be supported by population growth, brand-new industries, and public financial investment; inflation will stay soft, while monetary policy will loosen up. Hydrocarbons sector development will speed up, offsetting in part lower oil prices; financial balances will be mixed, with surpluses in UAE and Qatar, however deficits continue in other places.

Emerging Strategic Trends Shaping the 2026 GCC Economy

SHARJAH (WAM) The GCC and larger 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 drawing in funds and skill, stated service leaders at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival (SEF 2026). During a panel discussion on the first day of SEF 2026 examining "What Does the Next Year of Equity Capital Appear Like", speakers concurred that the emerging regional financial investment landscape appears promising.

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Reacting to a question on local startups' prospects of benefiting from recent investments in digital facilities, Tala Al Jabri, Founder and Managing Partner of Wyld VC said: "We have so much choosing us in the area: the low expense of energy, a really progressive federal government that is ahead in policy, guideline and information personal privacy; and really strong instructional organizations that are significantly looking at AI and ending up technical skill in AI."She included: "Our supreme goal is to see this region, particularly the GCC, end up being an AI superpower.

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

"International growth funds are being available in, which reveals clear indications of maturity of the environment The ability of the UAE and local governments to draw in talent; their innovation-first technique, abundance of capital here as well as inflow worldwide are the crucial building blocks."Paula Tavangar, Chief Financial Investment Officer at Injaz Capital said that within the area, Saudi Arabia is leading the number of handle the greatest worths, with 250 "biggest ticket size" deals tape-recorded in 2025 in the country.