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The Middle East chief executive officers (CEOs) remain among the most confident globally, with 88% expecting economic growth to strengthen in their own territories, and an even higher 93% across the GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council), against just 55% internationally, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).Despite geopolitical uncertainties and trade tensions, CEOs 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, said PwC's 29th Global CEO Survey – Middle East findings, based on insights from more than 300 CEOs across the Middle East region."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. It is particularly encouraging to see the region rank highly in CEOs’ global investment plans. Supported by national transformation agendas and sustained investment in artificial intelligence, the Middle East is well positioned to compete, adapt and grow,” said Hani Ashkar, Territory senior partner, PwC Middle East.Finding that the GCC continues to consolidate its position as a global investment hub; the survey ranks Saudi Arabia and the UAE among the top 10 global investment destinations, reinforcing their role as anchor markets for international and intra-regional capital.The Middle East businesses are also the most active globally when it comes to investing beyond their home markets, with 88% of CEOs planning to invest outside their domestic territories, it said, adding almost three quarters of these investments will stay within the Middle East, signalling deeper regional integration and growing confidence in local value creation.The CEOs in the Middle East, and even more so in the GCC, report significantly higher application of AI (artificial intelligence) than the global average, it found.More than a third of Middle East and the GCC leaders report integrating AI directly into their offerings, compared with fewer than one in five globally.Adoption is strongest in demand generation functions such as sales, marketing, and customer service, where 39% of Middle East CEOs and 43% of the GCC CEOs report extensive AI use. Uptake is also strong across support services, with nearly 40% of Middle East CEOs deploying AI - well above global averages, it said.As much as 80% of business leaders in the Middle East have also revealed that their culture enables AI adoption, while 70% have a clearly defined AI roadmap, well ahead of global benchmarks. As adoption accelerates, CEOs increasingly recognise the need to strengthen data readiness and governance before attempting to scale AI across the value chain.The merger and acquisition (M&A) demand remains strong, with 72% of Middle East CEOs planning a major acquisition over the next three years, it said, adding deal activity reflects a growing emphasis on capability-building, as CEOs look to strengthen skills, talent and data to support long-term growth. 

The Business Continuity and Resilience Conference (BCRC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PwC Middle East in Qatar as its Knowledge Partner for the 2025 edition of BCRC.The collaboration supports Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) by enhancing business continuity and resilience across key sectors, including banking, healthcare, energy, and government. It combines BCRC’s convening power with PwC’s regional and global expertise in Digital Trust and Business Continuity (BCM), enabling organisations to safeguard growth, protect services, and reinforce long-term competitiveness.Engineer Abdullatif Ali al-Yafei, chairman and conference president, said: “The agreement reflects the commitment to shaping a stronger, more resilient economy by elevating the standards of business continuity in Qatar and beyond.Bassam Hajhamad, Qatar Country senior partner and consulting leader, said: “Through our cross-sector BCM and Digital Trust expertise, we will bring frameworks and tools that enable leaders to anticipate risks, protect value, and achieve outcomes that matter to their organisations and Qatar’s future.”In a related development, BCRC and PwC Middle East co-hosted a workshop titled ‘BCM Practices in Qatar’.The workshop provided participants with the practical knowledge and skills necessary to build a resilient organisation by establishing an integrated business continuity governance framework. The framework relies on a proactive approach to testing, updating, and continuous improvement to ensure the effectiveness of plans and foster a culture of continuity within the organisation.Al-Yafei said the joint workshop marks the first step in a long-term capability-building journey that will empower leaders in government and semi-government sectors and practitioners in the field of BCM.

The availability of electric heavy-duty trucks remains "limited" in Qatar and the wider Gulf Co-operation Council or GCC, underscoring the urgent need to expand supply and attract manufacturers to the region, a PricewaterhouseCoopers or PwC study has said.Stressing that accelerating sustainable trucking offers significant, measurable climate benefits; PwC Middle East research shows that, under a government-led scenario, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar could avoid up to 2.6mn tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by 2035 – the equivalent of 2.6 years of Qatar’s current road freight emissions.PwC and TruKKer, the Middle East’s first and largest on-demand truck aggregator, in their joint research across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar found that electric heavy-duty truck availability in the GCC remains limited, especially in the crucial mid-weight segment (10–20 tonnes), hindering fleet diversification and slowing electrification.With only 15 zero-emission models available - 70% fewer than in Europe - and most internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles being second-hand imports, "the region needs to expand its EV model availability, attract OEMs, and tailor deployment strategies to accelerate sustainable road freight transformation."The report said ambitious commitments made by countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other GCC countries include nationwide electrification targets to public-private partnerships for clean transport.With GCC countries committing to net-zero targets, decarbonising heavy transport – one of the most emissions-intensive sectors – is essential, it said, adding without intervention, logistics emissions risk offsetting pervades into other areas.The shift to battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks offers a chance to rethink mobility and reshape the region’s energy model, according to the report ‘Driving change – the future of sustainable heavy-duty trucks in the Middle East’.For economies built on hydrocarbons, road freight is both a challenge and an opportunity – a bridge between legacy systems and the cleaner, technology-led future outlined in Saudi Vision 2030, the UAE Net Zero by 2050, Qatar National Vision 2030 and vision programs of other GCC countries, it said.Scaling zero-emission trucks can cut emissions while driving industrial innovation and diversification, it added.“With smarter policy, investment and the right incentives, zero-emission trucks can soon outpace their combustion-engine counterparts not just environmentally but commercially. The GCC has everything it needs to lead this transition, including a fast-growing clean energy base, a strong logistics backbone, and the ambition to drive change," said Heiko Seitz, Global Transport and Logistics Leader, PwC Middle East.Calling for a confident and future-focused coordinated action plan; it said this is not only about reducing emissions, but on building a road freight system that is more efficient, more resilient, and ready for the next generation of growth.Clear regulations and subsidies can spark early demand, strong grid and charging networks will enable operations, cost optimisation through renewable integration will make fleets viable and localised solutions will ensure technology works in the Gulf region’s unique climate and logistics environment.