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Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026

Business & Management · Summit

Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026

Invitation-only Reuters leadership summit where policymakers, investors and CEOs debate the Gulf's economic and geopolitical role.

About this event

Reuters NEXT Gulf is Reuters' leadership summit for the region, bringing policymakers, investors and business leaders together in Abu Dhabi to examine how the Gulf's growing influence in energy, capital and technology translates into global impact. Powered by the Reuters newsroom, the programme is built around interviews and panels hosted by Reuters journalists, with sessions broadcast live from the World Stage.

Programme

The day runs across a main stage and two themed forums, plus invitation-only roundtables and curated networking.

  • World Stage: Reuters journalists interview CEOs, policymakers and investors, broadcast live
  • AI & Tech Forum: panels, workshops, a startup showcase and leadership roundtables on sovereign AI and compute
  • Finance & Economy Forum: sovereign capital, GCC IPOs and digital finance
  • NEXT Dialogues: invitation-only roundtables under the Chatham House Rule
  • Gala dinner, leadership reception and structured meeting programmes

What's covered

The 2026 agenda spans trade alliances and resilience, doing business amid regional disruption, sovereign wealth fund strategy, the GCC IPO pipeline, FDI and public-private partnerships, luxury and consumer trends, real-estate investment, sovereign AI infrastructure, agentic AI and a Reuters editors' briefing on Iran.

Who attends

Attendance is by application. Reuters targets government leaders, CEOs and corporate leadership, global investors, banking and financial leaders, AI and technology leaders, and energy, industry and sustainability executives. The organiser cites around 750 attendees from 40+ countries, with 80% at C-level.

2026 partners

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development is the host city sponsor. Other 2026 partners include AWS (cloud services), Disrupt (venture), Uber (mobility) and Rolls-Royce Power Systems (gold sponsor), alongside community partners such as AmCham Dubai and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026 was a Business & Management event that took place 21 Oct 2026 at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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Speakers47

Agenda

World Stage

The next chapter: Trade, alliances and resilience

Fireside chat on how Gulf trade alliances, investment corridors and diversification strategies must evolve. In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

World Stage

Disruption in the Gulf: The business of uncertainty

Panel on how energy, aviation, logistics and consumer businesses are adapting to geopolitical disruption and rising operating risk.

World Stage

Money in motion: Sovereign spending power picking global winners

Panel on how Gulf sovereign and quasi-sovereign funds deploy capital across sectors and markets.

World Stage

The GCC IPO flywheel: Turning a regional deal boom into global market depth

Fireside chat on disclosure, free float, liquidity and investor mix in GCC listings.

World Stage

Financing growth in a changing climate: FDI, PPPs and domestic capital

Panel on foreign direct investment, public-private partnerships and the next wave of investment in non-oil sectors.

World Stage

Reuters Editors Briefing: Iran in focus

Reuters correspondents discuss Iran's economy, security and what it means for diplomacy and markets.

World Stage

The changing face of luxury: Brands, technology and the new consumer

Luxury and retail leaders on consumer behaviour, AI in brand strategy and heritage versus innovation.

World Stage

The new real-estate investment playbook: Scaling growth through capital and partnerships

Panel on how developers and investors finance future communities and assets.

World Stage

AI power play: Building the world's next compute superpower

Panel on sovereign AI in the GCC, datacentre build-out, power, cooling and talent.

World Stage

The age of Agentic AI: Keeping humans in the loop

Fireside chat on scaling agentic AI while keeping judgement, trust and accountability.

AI & Tech Forum

Women in tech

Breakfast panel on how women are shaping the region's tech agenda.

AI & Tech Forum

The ROI reckoning: Extracting value from AI investments

Panel on turning AI efficiency gains into sustained business value.

AI & Tech Forum

The governance gap: Leading AI responsibly at scale

Leadership roundtable on governance models and risk frameworks for scaling AI.

AI & Tech Forum

Startup showcase: AI & Tech

The region's tech founders present their work, hosted with an innovation partner.

AI & Tech Forum

AI & tech mixer and structured meetings

Bilateral meeting programme for AI and tech leaders.

AI & Tech Forum

Live podcast & interactive Q&A

Live recording of a Reuters podcast.

Finance & Economy Forum

Banking in the digital era: Fintech partnerships, consumer demand, and cybersecurity

Panel on bank–fintech collaboration, digital payments, tokenisation and cybersecurity.

Finance & Economy Forum

Capital deployment and strategic commodities for securing intergenerational returns

Panel on how GCC investors use commodities such as gold and critical minerals in resilient portfolios.

Finance & Economy Forum

Finance mixer & structured meetings

Bilateral meeting programme for finance leaders.

Partners14

Location

The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort

Al Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

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Frequently asked questions

Listed in

🏷 Business & Management🏷 Finance#Leadership#Investment#Trade#Sovereign wealth#Capital markets#Artificial intelligence#Geopolitics

About this listing

Details are collected from the organizer’s official site, events.reutersevents.com. Last verified .

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21 October 2026

Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026