AIM Congress 2026 puts global capital, wealth and investment shifts in focus

Dubai: The GCC has emerged as central to current global wealth movements, identifying intergenerational wealth transition, family office capital and sovereign capital as the three major pillars, Salman Mahdi, Global Vice Chairman of Private Bank at Deutsche Bank, said while speaking at the 15th Edition of AIM Congress.

Taking place from September 7-9, 2026, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the event welcomed over 15,831 participants from 181 countries, with 1,385 speakers. Renowned businessmen such as Yusuf Ali MA, chairman of Lulu Group International, Mishal Hamad Ali Mohamed Kanoo, chairman of the Kanoo Group, and Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar Properties, took centre stage, tracing the region's growth and adaptability.

Geopolitical shifts reshaping global economy

Addressing the AIM Congress, His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, addressed the delegates, visitors and investors, speaking about building a global investment gateway from a regional emirate.

Speaking to delegates, His Highness highlighted how geopolitical shifts are reshaping the international economic landscape.

“These forces are definitely creating uncertainty. But for those prepared to adapt, they are also opening the way to new industries, stronger partnership, and new centres of growth, new opportunities,” he said.

Key speakers and sessions

The UAE continues to invest in major industry sectors from renewable energy to artificial intelligence to strengthen its role as a global hub. Speakers pointed to the wider region's growing financial weight despite the geopolitical conditions.

Salman Mahdi, Global Vice Chairman of Private Bank at Deutsche Bank, provided an analysis of how the GCC has emerged as a key driver of current global wealth movements, noting that capital flows toward regions that offer regulatory certainty, talent, opportunity, and execution capabilities.

"This is the most competitive world we have ever lived in," Mahdi added. "Everything you did in the past might not work in the future.

Other speakers included President Taye Atske Selassie Made, the President of Ethiopia, who discussed potential investment opportunities in minerals and agriculture. H.E. Dorjkhand Togmid, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, and Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of Uganda, called for investments to complement their investments.

UAE cements position as global capital hub

Salman Mahdi highlighted the GCC as a central hub for immediate capital flows between Europe, Africa, high-growth Asian markets and the Middle East.

The speakers praised the leadership in the UAE for creating a stable environment through visionary legislation and security measures.

His Highness Sheikh Saud said that the business communities in RAK currently include more than 73,000 companies representing over 100 countries. However, the emirate’s tourism strategy aims to triple the number of visitors by 2030.

The three-day congress, running until September 9 at Dubai World Trade Centre, comes as the UAE recorded a record Dh177.3 billion in foreign direct investment last year.