Emerging Future Trends Shaping the 2026 GCC Economy

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

In November, a report released by KPMG highlighted Saudi Arabia's development in the innovation sector and said that 84 percent of CEOs in the country are all set to deploy AI properly, well above the 76 percent international criteria, supported by the Kingdom's information governance community, consisting of national initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Expert System Authority.

Policymakers are believing holistically about how to make the area attractive, consisting of having more pragmatic laws to enable experimentation and development," said the report.

Leading organization leaders, policymakers and financiers from the GCC and Latin America just recently explored how countries from the two regions can grow trade in between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 regional and worldwide policymakers, presidents, CEOs, magnate, investors, and industry specialists attended the first Global Business Forum Latin America held at the Atlantis Palm - Dubai.

Emerging Future Trends Defining the 2026 Regional Economy

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 said. Both areas count on each other for necessary items.

In 2015 Latin America supplied nearly half the meat imports into the GCC and 36 percent of the region's total sugar imports, it included. Brazil is without a doubt the largest trading partner for countries in the area, followed by Argentina and Mexico. Amongst the Latin American states, the GCC depends on Brazil for meat (generally poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for cars and Chile for wood products, said a declaration.

The forum was organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the style "Moving Synergies", explores how services can gain from the altering patterns of worldwide need and what function Dubai can play in facilitating the next step in service relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not just in the UAE and in the GCC however worldwide too, by acting as an information and research centre, by offering service documentation, providing legal services, assisting in networking opportunities through signature organization occasions and delivering almost every imaginable business solution, it stated.

GCC growth will strengthen in 2026, led by faster expansion in hydrocarbons; non-oil growth will stay solid however slow a little. Non-oil activity will be supported by population growth, brand-new markets, and public investment; inflation will remain soft, while financial policy will loosen. Hydrocarbons sector development will speed up, balancing out in part lower oil costs; financial balances will be blended, with surpluses in UAE and Qatar, however deficits persist elsewhere.

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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 government policies attracting funds and skill, stated magnate at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Celebration (SEF 2026). Throughout a panel conversation on the very first day of SEF 2026 taking a look at "What Does the Next Year of Equity Capital Appear Like", speakers agreed that the emerging regional financial investment landscape appears promising.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Reacting to a question on regional startups' prospects of benefiting from recent financial investments in digital facilities, Tala Al Jabri, Founder and Managing Partner of Wyld VC said: "We have so much choosing us in the region: the low expense of energy, a very progressive government that is ahead in policy, guideline and data privacy; and actually strong universities that are significantly looking at AI and ending up technical talent in AI."She added: "Our supreme goal is to see this region, specifically the GCC, end up being an AI superpower.

Our most significant chauffeur right now is investing in talent, since in the AI race, it's the technical talent that truly wins.

"International growth funds are being available in, which shows clear indications of maturity of the environment The capability of the UAE and regional governments to bring in skill; their innovation-first method, abundance of capital here in addition to inflow internationally are the essential foundation."Paula Tavangar, Chief Investment Officer at Injaz Capital said that within the region, Saudi Arabia is leading the variety of offers with the greatest values, with 250 "biggest ticket size" deals recorded in 2025 in the nation.