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      Across the region, technology continues to move decisively from aspiration to execution. In the United Arab Emirates, national transformation agendas have translated into sustained investment, increasingly sophisticated operating models, and rising expectations for measurable value. Technology is no longer a supporting function, it is a central determinant of competitiveness, resilience, and delivery at scale.

      This report captures a moment of transition. Organizations across both markets have built strong digital foundations and now display high confidence in their ability to absorb disruption, manage risk, and realize returns from technology investment. At the same time, the nature of leadership challenge is evolving. The question facing executives is no longer whether to invest in technology, but how to govern it effectively, scale it responsibly, and convert ambition into durable performance gains.

      We draw on insight from a global survey of 2,500 technology leaders, including 70 respondents from the United Arab Emirates, spanning government and public sector, financial services, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, and consumer industries.


      Our findings show that organizations in the UAE are outperforming global peers across several dimensions: organizational resilience, investment scale, maturity of core technology capabilities, and confidence in value realization. Notably, this performance has been achieved through predominantly fast-follower strategies: prioritizing proven technologies and disciplined execution over first-mover experimentation.

      Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud platforms, and data-driven capabilities are the pivotal enablers in this next phase. AI in particular is rapidly moving from experimentation to enterprise deployment. At the same time, sustainability considerations are now deeply embedded in technology decision-making, far exceeding global benchmarks.

      Our report aims to support that leadership task: providing a clear, evidence-based view of where organizations stand today, how they are responding to complexity, and what will matter most as they move from maturity to momentum.


      KPMG UAE tech report 2026

      Scale, confidence and acceleration


      Key findings from our research

      In this report 

      • Technology strategy and organizational posture
      • Technology investments and financial value
      • Technology adoption and maturity
      • Operating model and execution
      • Challenges, risks, and barriers
      • Future outlook and priorities for 2026

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      KPMG UAE tech report 2026

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