Navigating the Next Middle East Business Environment thumbnail

Navigating the Next Middle East Business Environment

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Affirming the development of AI in the area, a report released by PwC earlier this month stated that the usage of AI among the workforce in the Middle East continues to increase, with 75 percent of staff members in the area using it in their tasks over the previous 12 months.

In November, a report launched by KPMG highlighted Saudi Arabia's progress in the innovation sector and said that 84 percent of CEOs in the nation are prepared to deploy AI properly, well above the 76 percent international criteria, supported by the Kingdom's information governance environment, including national initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Expert System Authority.

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

How to Optimise GCC Strategy in 2026

Top magnate, policymakers and investors from the GCC and Latin America just recently explored how nations from the two areas can grow trade in between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 local and international policymakers, presidents, CEOs, organization leaders, investors, and industry professionals attended the first Global Business Online forum Latin America held at the Atlantis Palm - Dubai.

Reviewing 2026 Market Research for Future Growth

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 stated. Both regions rely on each other for important products.

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

The online forum was organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the style "Shifting Synergies", explores how organizations can gain from the changing patterns of global demand and what function Dubai can play in helping with the next action in organization relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not just in the UAE and in the GCC but internationally too, by acting as an information and research centre, by supplying company documents, providing legal services, facilitating networking chances by means of signature business events and providing practically every possible company option, it specified.

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

Analysing 2026 GCC Research for Strategic Insights

SHARJAH (WAM) The GCC and wider 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 attracting funds and skill, stated company leaders at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival (SEF 2026). Throughout a panel discussion on the first day of SEF 2026 examining "What Does the Next Year of Venture Capital Appear Like", speakers concurred that the emerging local financial investment landscape appears appealing.

How to Optimise GCC Strategy in 2026
ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+


Reacting to a concern on regional start-ups' prospects of benefiting from recent financial investments in digital infrastructure, Tala Al Jabri, Creator and Managing Partner of Wyld VC stated: "We have a lot choosing us in the area: the low cost of energy, an extremely progressive government that is ahead in policy, guideline and data personal privacy; and actually strong universities that are increasingly looking at AI and turning out technical talent in AI."She added: "Our ultimate goal 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 skill that truly wins."Concentrating on the beauty of the area for financiers, Christos Mastoras, Founder and Handling Partner of Iliad Partners, said: "I believe we are very fortunate to onboard the 3 biggest banks of Greece as LPs [Limited Partners] for financial investment in the region.

"International development funds are coming in, which shows clear indications of maturity of the environment The capability of the UAE and regional governments to attract skill; their innovation-first technique, abundance of capital here along with inflow globally are the essential foundation."Paula Tavangar, Chief Financial Investment Officer at Injaz Capital said that within the region, Saudi Arabia is leading the variety of handle the highest values, with 250 "biggest ticket size" deals taped in 2025 in the nation.