UAE + Saudi business sentiment remains resilient as investors recalibrate strategies -HSBC

Saudi and UAE business sentiment holds firm despite disruptions: Businesses and investors in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are maintaining firm medium-term strategies, according to an HSBC global business leaders survey (pdf). The headline finding: Rather than pulling back, most GCC decision-makers see the current disruption as a chance to reposition — reassessing market exposure and doubling down on growth. On the global front, 93% of the surveyed investors plan to increase cross-border trade or investment over the next five years.

Disruption opens the door for business repositioning: 95% of respondents In Saudi see the current economic environment as a catalyst to redefine priorities and reassess market exposure, a view shared by 93% in the UAE. These figures exceed the global average of 88%, with 87% of respondents saying they are now more willing than they were five years ago to take calculated risks to grow their businesses.

Regionalization is the defining trend. The UAE and Saudi Arabia rank as the markets most expected to grow in strategic importance over the next five years, outpacing India, ASEAN, and the broader Middle East. Businesses are increasingly expecting cross-border activity to consolidate regionally, and GCC markets are well-placed to capture that shift.

AI is also reshaping how firms plan for growth and how investors approach the year ahead. Access to technology and infrastructure now rivals market growth and client demand as a factor in international strategy, and investors increasingly see AI exposure as central to portfolio decisions. Productivity gains, better forecasting, and lower operating costs are cited as the top expected benefits. Nearly a third expect AI to fundamentally reshape their core business models by 2030.

Looking ahead, the survey points to private capital displacing public markets as the dominant force in global capital allocation by 2035, and digital finance gaining traction — though adoption obstacles remain significant, with nearly half of businesses still not understanding how digital financing will affect them.