Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026
Invitation-only Reuters leadership summit where policymakers, investors and CEOs debate the Gulf's economic and geopolitical role.
Date and Time
Wednesday, October 21
Location
About This Event
Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026 is a Business & Management event taking place 21 Oct 2026 at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
About this listing
Details are collected from the organizer’s official site, events.reutersevents.com.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026
Invitation-only Reuters leadership summit where policymakers, investors and CEOs debate the Gulf's economic and geopolitical role.
Wednesday, October 21
Reuters NEXT Gulf 2026