Navigating the 2026 Middle East Business Environment

Verifying the growth of AI in the area, a report released by PwC previously this month said that the use of AI among the workforce in the Middle East continues to rise, with 75 percent of workers in the region utilizing it in their tasks over the past 12 months.

In November, a report released by KPMG highlighted Saudi Arabia's progress in the technology sector and said that 84 percent of CEOs in the nation are prepared to deploy AI responsibly, well above the 76 percent global criteria, supported by the Kingdom's data governance ecosystem, including nationwide initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority.

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

Top business leaders, policymakers and financiers from the GCC and Latin America just recently explored how countries from the two areas can grow trade between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 regional and international policymakers, heads of state, CEOs, service leaders, investors, and industry specialists participated in the very first Global Service Online forum Latin America held at the Atlantis Palm - Dubai.

Can Market Analytics Define Middle East Corporate Success?

In 2015 the GCC comprised 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 statement from organisers said. Both areas count on each other for necessary products.

In 2015 Latin America provided almost half the meat imports into the GCC and 36 per cent of the region's overall sugar imports, it added. Brazil is by far the largest trading partner for nations in the region, followed by Argentina and Mexico. Amongst the Latin American states, the GCC relies on Brazil for meat (mainly poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for vehicles and Chile for wood items, said a declaration.

The online forum was organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the style "Shifting Synergies", checks out how organizations can take advantage of the changing patterns of worldwide demand and what function Dubai can play in assisting in the next step in service relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not only in the UAE and in the GCC but globally too, by acting as an information and research study centre, by supplying company documents, using legal services, helping with networking opportunities through signature service events and providing nearly every possible business option, it specified.

GCC development will reinforce in 2026, led by faster growth in hydrocarbons; non-oil development will stay strong however slow slightly. Non-oil activity will be supported by population development, brand-new markets, and public financial investment; inflation will remain soft, while financial policy will loosen up. Hydrocarbons sector growth will speed up, offsetting in part lower oil prices; fiscal balances will be blended, with surpluses in UAE and Qatar, however deficits continue somewhere else.

How to Scale GCC Operations in 2026

SHARJAH (WAM) The GCC and wider Middle East area 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, said organization leaders at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Celebration (SEF 2026). Throughout a panel conversation on the first day of SEF 2026 examining "What Does the Next Year of Equity Capital Appear Like", speakers agreed that the emerging regional investment landscape appears appealing.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Responding to a concern on local start-ups' prospects of taking advantage of recent financial investments in digital facilities, Tala Al Jabri, Creator and Managing Partner of Wyld VC said: "We have so much choosing us in the region: the low expense of energy, an extremely progressive federal government that is ahead in policy, regulation and data personal privacy; and really strong academic organizations that are progressively looking at AI and turning out technical talent in AI."She added: "Our supreme objective is to see this area, particularly the GCC, become an AI superpower.

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

"International growth funds are being available in, which shows clear signs of maturity of the environment The capability of the UAE and regional governments to bring in skill; their innovation-first approach, abundance of capital here in addition to inflow worldwide are the key foundation."Paula Tavangar, Chief Investment Officer at Injaz Capital said that within the area, Saudi Arabia is leading the number of deals with the highest worths, with 250 "largest ticket size" offers recorded in 2025 in the nation.