Sharjah Investment Forum to host over 10,000 participants from more than 60 nations next month

More than 10,000 participants from over 60 countries will come together in Sharjah for the ninth edition of the Sharjah Investment Forum (SIF 2026), with more than 140 activities, including 80 business meetings, across two days designed to move the conversation from the forces changing the global economy to how investors, businesses and governments can respond.

Taking place on October 14–15 at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre, SIF 2026 will bring together 80+ speakers and 20+ exhibitors under the theme “Building Adaptive Economies.” The programme will span sessions, panel discussions, keynote addresses, workshops and direct business meetings, combining high-level economic debate with opportunities for investors and businesses to meet, exchange expertise and explore partnerships.

Organised by the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Investment, this year’s forum comes as changes in trade, technology, capital flows and supply chains increasingly influence where companies invest and how they plan for growth. The programme has been developed around the practical implications of those shifts, from investment and industrial development to artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, talent and global connectivity.

Over 140 activities across two days

More than 140 activities will run across the two-day forum, giving participants different routes into the issues shaping investment decisions today. The programme includes expert-led discussions and keynote addresses alongside workshops and more than 80 direct business meetings, creating space for both strategic debate and one-to-one engagement.

The forum will examine what investors need from economies today. File

Among the central questions on the agenda are how economies can withstand pressure on global supply chains; what companies need from a market after they establish; how policy can keep pace with changes in investment, trade and technology; and how artificial intelligence is changing the economics of building, manufacturing and scaling businesses.

The breadth of the programme reflects the forum’s 2026 theme. Rather than treating adaptability as a response to individual disruptions, SIF will examine the policies, infrastructure, skills and business models that can help economies continue to attract investment and grow as conditions change.

80+ speakers bring global and regional perspectives

More than 80 speakers will contribute perspectives from government, investment, business, technology and entrepreneurship. The line-up includes British entrepreneur and investor Simon Squibb and Indian entrepreneur and AI developer Varun Mayya, alongside ministers, CEOs, economists, investors and industry leaders from the UAE and international markets.

Their participation will give the forum’s audience access to both macroeconomic perspectives and experience from people building and investing in companies, developing infrastructure, deploying new technologies and navigating changing markets.

Commenting on this year’s edition, 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.”

Connecting global discussion with investment opportunity

More than 20 exhibitors will complement the forum programme, giving participating organisations a platform to present investment opportunities, projects, services and capabilities directly to an international business audience.

For Sharjah, the discussions also come at a time of continued investment growth. The emirate attracted Dhs7.74 billion in FDI across 142 projects in 2025, with the number of projects increasing 45% year-on-year and creating 5,673 new jobs. The figures reflect a diversified investment base spanning sectors including manufacturing, technology, logistics, real estate and the creative economy.

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.

Registration and further information are available at sif.ae.