GCC is ‘open to the world’ and seeks long-term investment partnerships, secretary-general says

The Gulf should no longer be viewed as six separate markets, but as one interconnected economic and investment system linked to the wider region and global markets, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretary-general said.

“Today, the GCC countries can no longer be viewed as six separate markets,” Jasem AlBudaiwi said in a keynote speech at the 15th edition of the AIM Congress at Dubai World Trade Centre. The three-day event brought together discussions on investment and economic cooperation.

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Today, the GCC countries can no longer be viewed as six separate markets.

The Gulf economy has a combined gross domestic product of $2.4 trillion, placing it among the world’s 10 largest economies, AlBudaiwi said. Sovereign wealth fund assets exceed $5 trillion, while commercial bank assets stood at about $3.9 trillion in 2025.

Foreign direct investment inflows into the GCC reached about $792.7 billion in 2025, including $171.4 billion invested between GCC countries themselves. AlBudaiwi said the figures showed that economic integration had become a driver of investment, rather than simply reflecting investment flows.

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open to the world

He said opportunities alone were no longer enough to attract investors amid recent geopolitical changes. Despite severe supply-chain disruption linked to problems in the Strait of Hormuz, he said GCC economies had maintained stability through what he called wise leadership and joint coordination.

The region’s strengths, he said, include economic stability, substantial financial and investment capacity, established institutions, clear development visions, and economies moving toward greater diversification and innovation. The GCC countries remain “open to the world” and seek long-term investment partnerships based on mutual interests.

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Opportunities alone are no longer sufficient to attract investment