The UAE economy continues to rise and strengthen its global position in 2026

The UAE economy continued its upward trajectory during the first months of 2026, with strengthening of the financial and banking sector and an increase in foreign trade and investment indicators, according to official data and local and international reports.

The UAE economy has strengthened its sustainable leadership at the regional and global levels, and has proven to be a role model for stability and flexibility in the face of various changes and challenges.

The monetary and banking developments report for February 2026, issued by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, showed an increase in total banking assets by 1.1% to exceed 5.472 trillion dirhams, compared to 5.414 trillion dirhams in the previous January.

Total credit increased by 1.2% to 2.63 trillion dirhams, supported by an increase in domestic credit by 20.6 billion dirhams, while bank deposits recorded a growth of 1.9% to reach 3.4 trillion dirhams, with resident deposits increasing by 1.7% to reach 3.098 trillion dirhams.

The UAE financial sector enjoys advanced levels of stability, as the capital adequacy ratio reached 17% at the beginning of last March, while the liquidity coverage rate exceeded 146.6%, exceeding international and regulatory standards.

UAE banks strengthened their presence in Forbes magazine’s list of the best banks in the world 2026, as the list included a number of the most prominent financial institutions in the country, such as First Abu Dhabi, Commercial International Bank, Abu Dhabi Commercial, Emirates Islamic, Emirates NBD, and Commercial Dubai.

For its part, the Ministry of Finance announced that Moody’s credit rating agency completed a periodic review of the credit ratings of the United Arab Emirates on March 30, 2026, where the suitability of the current rating was re-evaluated, which remained unchanged at “Aa2” with a stable future outlook.

In this context, S&P Global Ratings affirmed the UAE’s sovereign credit rating at AA/A-1+ for both local and foreign currencies, with a stable outlook.

The agency explained that the UAE economy is based on high levels of financial and economic flexibility, supported by combined net government assets estimated at about 184% of the GDP in 2026, while government liquid assets amount to about 210% of the GDP.

The UAE has continued to strengthen the foreign trade strategy it is implementing under the umbrella of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements Programme, which aims to raise the value of non-oil trade to 4 trillion dirhams by 2031.

During the first quarter of 2026, the country signed agreements with the Philippines, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in addition to the Republic of Gabon.

The UAE economy topped prominent international indicators, as the country entered for the first time among the top ten globally in merchandise exports, ranking ninth according to the World Trade Organization report.

The report indicated that the UAE’s total foreign trade recorded 6 trillion dirhams in 2025, a growth of 15% compared to 2024, while trade in services reached 1.14 trillion dirhams for the first time, and trade in non-oil goods increased by 27% to reach 3.8 trillion dirhams.

Mubadala Investment Company has enhanced the flexibility of its investment portfolio, with the value of its assets reaching 1.4 trillion dirhams, with a cumulative return of more than 10% over five and ten years. ADNOC also entered the list of the 100 most valuable brands in the world, maintaining its position as the most valuable brand in the Emirates for the eighth year in a row, with its value increasing by 11% to reach $21.13 billion, achieving growth of more than 350% since 2017.

Dubai recorded its highest ranking in the Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI), advancing to seventh place, which reflects its rise as one of the most prominent financial centers in the world.

The UAE has achieved remarkable growth in the number of companies registered in the economic registry, which reached more than 1.45 million companies by the end of last February.

In this context, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce recorded the joining of 2,709 new companies in March 2026, while the Sharjah Economic Development Department revealed a growth in the number of licenses issued and renewed by 1% during the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2025. The Ajman Department of Economic Development also issued 1,617 new licenses during the first quarter of 2026, and 8,777 renewed licenses, in an indicator that reflects the stability of the business environment and the continued activity of establishments in the emirate, after an increase Renewed licenses increased by 7% compared to the same period in 2025.

In terms of treasury bonds, the auction of government treasury bonds “T-Bonds” denominated in UAE dirhams for the month of March 2026 achieved great success, with a total issuance volume of 1.1 billion dirhams.

The auction witnessed strong demand from banks dealing with the tranche of treasury bonds due in September 2027 and the tranche due in January 2031, as the total value of bids submitted reached 4.85 billion UAE dirhams, equivalent to about 4.4 times the issue size.