SIF 2026 to bring 10,000+ participants for 140+ activities

More than 10,000 participants from over 60 countries will come together for the Sharjah Investment Forum (SIF 2026), taking place on 14th and 15th October, with more than 140 activities, including 80 business meetings, to discuss how changes in trade, technology, capital flows and supply chains are influencing the global economy, and how economies and investors can respond and turn these shifts into new pathways for investment, expansion and partnerships from Sharjah.

Organised by the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment, the ninth edition of the forum will take place at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre under the theme “Building Adaptive Economies.” The forum will place economic adaptability in a practical context through four main pillars: strategic leadership and economic adaptability; technology and smart solutions for industries; smart capital flows and supply chain resilience; and the future of communities and economic growth. More than 80 speakers will participate, while over 20 exhibitors will give participants an opportunity to explore services and capabilities supporting investment and business expansion.

The forum’s programme includes more than 140 activities spanning panel discussions, keynote addresses and workshops, examining economic trends, policies and experiences shaping the future of investment and business, combining discussion of major shifts with their practical implications for organisations and companies.

The forum will dedicate more than 80 business meetings to direct engagement between investors, companies and small and medium-sized enterprises, exploring opportunities for financing, expansion and supply. The meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss project requirements and the capabilities of potential partners and identify the steps needed to turn shared interests into commercial and investment cooperation.

British entrepreneur and investor Simon Squibb will participate as part of a programme featuring more than 80 international speakers. In a session titled “Thriving in an Era of Constant Change,” he will discuss how resilience, an entrepreneurial mindset and reinventing business models can help companies navigate change and strengthen their competitiveness.

Indian entrepreneur and AI developer Varun Mayya will continue the discussion from a technology perspective with a keynote address on the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of business and investment, examining how these technologies are reshaping the ways companies are built, products are developed and businesses are scaled.

Marwan Saleh Alichla, Coordinator General of the SIF Committee, said, “The forces reshaping investment today do not stop at the borders of one market or the boundaries of one sector. Changes in technology, trade, capital and supply chains are increasingly connected, and responding to them requires equally broad participation from governments, investors and businesses.

This is what SIF seeks to enable: bringing different markets, sectors and perspectives into the same conversation. The expected scale of SIF 2026 reflects that ambition, creating greater scope for ideas to meet expertise, investors to meet opportunities, and conversations to develop into partnerships.” The forum’s discussions come as Sharjah continues to record growth in foreign direct investment. The emirate attracted AED7.74 billion in FDI across 142 projects in 2025, with the number of projects increasing 45 per cent year-on-year and creating 5,673 new jobs.

SIF 2026 will place that local investment experience within a wider international conversation. From the movement of capital and goods to the adoption of AI and the infrastructure required for new industries, the forum will examine what investors need from economies today and what economies need to build to remain competitive tomorrow. HCT panel explores innovation, AI in government transformation: The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) hosted a strategic panel discussion at its Sharjah campus on the role of innovation, sustainability and artificial intelligence (AI) in developing government work and supporting the “We the UAE 2031” vision.

Held under the title “Building a forward-thinking government: innovation, sustainability and AI in achieving We the UAE 2031 vision”, the session brought together government leaders and sector experts to discuss future government models and the national capabilities required to keep pace with rapid transformations.

Discussions focused on four areas: innovation as a driver of government transformation, embedding sustainability in government policies and services, AI’s role in building the Government of the Future, and developing capabilities and future readiness.

WAM