Emerging Strategic Trends Shaping the 2026 GCC Market

Verifying the development of AI in the area, a report released by PwC previously 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 jobs over the past 12 months.

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

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

Leading business leaders, policymakers and investors from the GCC and Latin America recently explored how nations from the two areas can grow trade in between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 regional and worldwide policymakers, heads of state, CEOs, magnate, financiers, and industry experts participated in the very first Global Organization 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 items from Latin America. And exports to Latin America from the area were $5.6 billion, a declaration from organisers stated. Both regions count on each other for vital products.

In 2015 Latin America supplied 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 countries in the area, followed by Argentina and Mexico. Among the Latin American states, the GCC depends on Brazil for meat (mainly poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for cars and Chile for wood products, stated a declaration.

The forum was arranged by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the theme "Shifting Synergies", checks out how organizations can benefit from the altering patterns of global need and what function Dubai can play in helping with the next step in organization relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not just in the UAE and in the GCC but worldwide too, by serving as an info and research centre, by offering business paperwork, using legal services, helping with networking opportunities through signature organization occasions and delivering nearly every conceivable organization solution, it specified.

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

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SHARJAH (WAM) The GCC and larger Middle East area 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 talent, said magnate at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Celebration (SEF 2026). During a panel conversation on the first day of SEF 2026 examining "What Does the Next Year of Equity Capital Look Like", speakers agreed that the emerging regional investment landscape appears promising.

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Reacting to a question on regional start-ups' potential customers of benefiting from recent financial investments in digital infrastructure, Tala Al Jabri, Founder and Managing Partner of Wyld VC said: "We have a lot opting for us in the region: the low cost of energy, a very progressive government that is ahead in policy, policy and data personal privacy; and really strong universities that are progressively taking a look at AI and ending up technical skill in AI."She included: "Our ultimate objective is to see this area, specifically the GCC, become an AI superpower.

Our greatest driver right now is investing in skill, because in the AI race, it's the technical skill that actually wins.

"International development funds are coming in, which reveals clear indications of maturity of the environment The ability of the UAE and regional federal governments to draw in skill; their innovation-first method, 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 region, Saudi Arabia is leading the variety of offers with the highest values, with 250 "biggest ticket size" deals taped in 2025 in the country.