The UAE has topped the Arab Digital Economy Index 2026. Results were announced on Tuesday, 22 September, as Seamless Middle East 2026 opened in Dubai, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The three-day event runs from 22 to 24 September at Dubai World Trade Centre. WAM said it brings together payments, fintech, banking, digital commerce, retail, identity and logistics. Organisers expect more than 25,000 participants, about 800 speakers and 750 exhibitors.
The opening sits under the patronage of Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior. He is also Supreme President of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy. Ambassadors and delegates from several Arab states attended, alongside UAE government, finance and academic officials, WAM reported.
Dr Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri, chairman of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy and adviser to the Council of Arab Economic Unity, addressed the opening. The federation then launched the 2026 index. Officials from Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park and the UAE Banks Federation also spoke before visitors toured the exhibition.
The index scores Arab countries across institutions, infrastructure, workforce, digital government, innovation, knowledge and technology, market forces, capital-market growth and sustainable development.
The UAE led the highest-performing group. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman sit in the same top band, according to WAM and Emirates 24|7. A middle group includes Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. A third group covers countries still building digital foundations, among them Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.
Across the region, the results show stronger progress in digital infrastructure, government services and cybersecurity. Gaps remain in innovation, the data economy, research and development, and turning digital spending into real productivity, the federation said.
Al-Khouri said this edition puts digital sovereignty at the centre of Arab economic debate. Data, artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, semiconductors and cybersecurity now shape national capability, he said. On the UAE ranking, he pointed to years of investment in infrastructure, government services, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the knowledge economy.
The Arab Digital Economy Vision launched in Abu Dhabi in 2018 with patronage from President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Arab leaders adopted it in 2022 as a regional cooperation framework. The index is one tool the federation uses to measure progress and set priorities.
Seamless Middle East 2026 continues through Thursday with talks on fintech, digital payments, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity and emerging tech. For Dubai residents and regional businesses, the ranking is a snapshot of where the UAE sits - and where the rest of the Arab digital market still has work to do.