RIYADH: CEOs in the Middle East remain among the most confident globally, with 88 percent expecting economic growth in their territories to strengthen, compared with a global average of 55 percent, according to a survey by PwC.
In its latest report, the professional services firm underlined that business chiefs in the Middle East continue to deploy capital, scale artificial intelligence and expand selectively into new sectors, supported by a strong investment momentum and long-term national transformation agendas.
Confidence in economic growth is even higher among CEOs in the Gulf Cooperation Council, with 93 percent of business leaders expressing an optimistic outlook for the future.
The findings by PwC align with a report released by KPMG in November, which said that CEOs in the Middle East are entering 2026 with stronger confidence levels and a higher readiness to deploy AI responsibly than many of their international peers.
Commenting on the latest analysis, Hani Ashkar, territory senior partner at PwC Middle East, said: “These findings reflect the strong underlying confidence we are seeing across the Middle East. CEOs in the region are resilient and are ready to deploy capital for long-term growth.”
