10,000 participants and 160 events at the Sharjah Investment Forum

The activities of the “Sharjah Investment Forum 2025” will be launched on October 22 and 23, within a unified agenda with the “World Investment Conference”, under the slogan “Leading the Global Transformation: Investing towards a Flexible and Sustainable Future”, with the participation of more than 95 speakers from senior officials, experts and investors, in more than 160 events in light of expectations of attracting more than 10,000 participants from various countries of the world.

In a world witnessing an unprecedented acceleration in the pace of economic transformation, the attention of international investors is turning to a new category of development engines, namely emerging companies and small and medium enterprises, which have become a starting point for radical transformations in the concept of investment, job opportunities, and innovation, as World Bank data indicate that small and medium enterprises represent more than 90% of the total companies around the world, and employ about 50% of the workforce. workforce.

In this context, the “Sharjah Investment Forum 2025” raises vital questions about how to transform emerging companies from recipients of funding to catalysts for foreign investment, by reviewing successful experiences and scalable business models, especially in high-growth sectors such as applied artificial intelligence, agricultural technology, digital education, smart health care, and creative services.

At the regional level, the forum focuses, through specialized sessions, on the promising opportunities for investment in emerging companies in the region, which in 2024 witnessed the collection of investments estimated at about $2.3 billion through 610 deals, according to the “Wamda 2024” report, which reflects the flexibility of the system and its attractiveness to local and foreign direct investments.

In the same context, data from the MAGNiTT report for the year 2024 showed that the UAE is at the top of the list of regional markets, in terms of total venture financing, attracting 33% of total financing, equivalent to a major share of investments amounting to about $1.9 billion at the region level. These numbers confirm the UAE’s established position as a top destination for innovators and entrepreneurs, thanks to the flexible legislative environment, specialized free zones, and advanced digital infrastructure.

Official data indicate that small and medium-sized companies in the UAE contribute up to 63.5% of the non-oil GDP, which reflects the pivotal role of this sector in supporting and diversifying the national economy.