How to Maintain a Competitive Advantage in 2026

Affirming the development of AI in the region, a report released by PwC previously this month said that the use of AI amongst the labor force in the Middle East continues to increase, with 75 percent of employees in the area 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 country are ready to release AI responsibly, well above the 76 percent global benchmark, supported by the Kingdom's data governance ecosystem, consisting of nationwide initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Expert System Authority.

Policymakers are believing holistically about how to make the region attractive, including having more pragmatic laws to permit experimentation and development," said the report.

Top organization leaders, policymakers and financiers from the GCC and Latin America recently explored how nations from the two areas can grow trade between each other in Dubai, UAE.More than 500 local and worldwide policymakers, presidents, CEOs, magnate, financiers, and industry experts attended the first Global Company Forum Latin America held at the Atlantis Palm - Dubai.

Predicting the 2026 Middle East Corporate Landscape

In 2015 the GCC comprised 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 rely on each other for essential items.

In 2015 Latin America supplied nearly half the meat imports into the GCC and 36 per cent of the area's total sugar imports, it included. 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 counts on Brazil for meat (primarily poultry), Argentina for cereals, Mexico for lorries and Chile for wood items, stated a declaration.

The online forum was organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce under the theme "Shifting Synergies", explores how businesses can take advantage of the changing patterns of worldwide need and what role Dubai can play in facilitating the next action in service relations. Dubai Chamber takes a pioneering position not only in the UAE and in the GCC but internationally too, by acting as an information and research study centre, by offering business paperwork, offering legal services, helping with networking chances through signature service events and delivering almost every imaginable business solution, it mentioned.

GCC growth will strengthen in 2026, led by faster growth in hydrocarbons; non-oil development will remain solid however sluggish somewhat. Non-oil activity will be supported by population growth, new industries, and public investment; inflation will remain soft, while monetary policy will loosen. Hydrocarbons sector growth will speed up, offsetting in part lower oil costs; fiscal balances will be mixed, with surpluses in UAE and Qatar, however deficits persist somewhere else.

Essential Tips for Industrial Excellence in the GCC

SHARJAH (WAM) The GCC and larger Middle East area is poised for the next wave of investments in AI and tech-led sectors, with business-friendly and innovation-focused government policies bring in funds and talent, stated business leaders at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Celebration (SEF 2026). During a panel conversation on the first day of SEF 2026 taking a look at "What Does the Next Year of Endeavor Capital Appear Like", speakers concurred that the emerging local financial investment landscape appears promising.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Reacting to a question on regional startups' potential customers of benefiting from recent financial investments in digital infrastructure, Tala Al Jabri, Founder and Managing Partner of Wyld VC stated: "We have so much choosing us in the area: the low expense of energy, an extremely progressive government that is ahead in policy, guideline and information privacy; and actually strong educational institutions that are significantly looking at AI and ending up technical skill in AI."She added: "Our ultimate goal is to see this area, specifically the GCC, end up being an AI superpower.

Our greatest motorist right now is investing in skill, because in the AI race, it's the technical talent that really wins."Focusing on the attractiveness of the region for investors, Christos Mastoras, Founder and Handling Partner of Iliad Partners, stated: "I believe we are very fortunate to onboard the three biggest banks of Greece as LPs [Limited Partners] for financial investment in the region.

"International development funds are being available in, which shows clear indications of maturity of the ecosystem The ability of the UAE and local governments to attract skill; their innovation-first technique, abundance of capital here as well as inflow worldwide are the crucial foundation."Paula Tavangar, Chief Investment Officer at Injaz Capital stated that within the region, Saudi Arabia is leading the variety of handle the greatest values, with 250 "largest ticket size" offers tape-recorded in 2025 in the nation.