Emerging Strategic Trends Defining the 2026 Regional Market

Affirming the growth of AI in the area, a report launched by PwC previously this month stated that the use of AI among the labor force in the Middle East continues to increase, with 75 percent of staff members in the region using it in their tasks over the previous 12 months.

In November, a report released by KPMG highlighted Saudi Arabia's progress in the technology sector and stated that 84 percent of CEOs in the country are all set to deploy AI responsibly, well above the 76 percent worldwide criteria, supported by the Kingdom's information governance environment, consisting of nationwide initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Expert System Authority.

Policymakers are believing holistically about how to make the area appealing, including having more practical laws to permit for experimentation and development," said the report.

Leading magnate, policymakers and investors from the GCC and Latin America recently checked out how nations from the two areas can grow trade in between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 regional and global policymakers, heads of state, CEOs, company leaders, financiers, and industry professionals participated in the very first Global Business Forum Latin America held at the Atlantis Palm - Dubai.

Emerging Future Shifts Shaping the 2026 Regional Market

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

In 2015 Latin America provided almost half the meat imports into the GCC and 36 percent of the area's total sugar imports, it included. Brazil is by far the largest trading partner for countries in the region, followed by Argentina and Mexico. Among the Latin American states, the GCC counts on Brazil for meat (generally poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for cars and Chile for wood products, stated a statement.

The online forum was arranged by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the theme "Shifting Synergies", explores how services can benefit from the changing patterns of worldwide demand and what function Dubai can play in helping with the next action in service relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not just in the UAE and in the GCC but globally too, by serving as a details and research study centre, by offering service paperwork, providing legal services, assisting in networking chances by means of signature business occasions and providing almost every imaginable company solution, it specified.

GCC development will reinforce in 2026, led by faster expansion in hydrocarbons; non-oil development will remain solid but sluggish a little. Non-oil activity will be supported by population development, brand-new markets, and public investment; inflation will remain soft, while financial policy will loosen up. Hydrocarbons sector development will accelerate, balancing out in part lower oil rates; financial balances will be combined, with surpluses in UAE and Qatar, however deficits persist somewhere else.

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

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Reacting to a question on local start-ups' prospects of benefiting from current financial investments in digital facilities, Tala Al Jabri, Creator and Managing Partner of Wyld VC said: "We have so much going for us in the area: the low cost of energy, a very progressive federal government that is ahead in policy, guideline and information personal privacy; and truly strong universities that are increasingly taking a look at AI and turning out technical skill in AI."She included: "Our ultimate goal is to see this area, particularly the GCC, become an AI superpower.

Our biggest chauffeur right now is investing in skill, because in the AI race, it's the technical skill that actually wins."Concentrating on the appearance of the area for financiers, Christos Mastoras, Founder and Handling Partner of Iliad Partners, said: "I think we are really lucky to onboard the three biggest banks of Greece as LPs [Limited Partners] for financial investment in the region.

"International growth funds are coming in, which reveals clear indications of maturity of the community The capability of the UAE and local federal governments to bring in talent; their innovation-first method, abundance of capital here as well as inflow worldwide are the key foundation."Paula Tavangar, Chief Investment Officer at Injaz Capital stated that within the region, Saudi Arabia is leading the number of handle the highest worths, with 250 "largest ticket size" deals taped in 2025 in the country.