The GCC ranks among the world’s leading regions for workplace artificial intelligence adoption, with 93 per cent of frontline employees using AI at least several times a week, according to Boston Consulting Group.

The figure compares with a global average of 74 per cent among frontline employees, according to BCG’s fourth annual AI at Work report, titled Strategy Matters More Than Tools.

Among managers and leaders in the GCC, AI adoption was even higher at 95 per cent, according to regional findings covering the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

The findings highlight the rapid adoption of AI across Gulf workplaces as governments and companies invest heavily in the technology.

However, BCG said widespread use alone would not guarantee companies achieve meaningful business benefits, with strategy, workforce training and changes to working practices becoming increasingly important.

The study found productivity gains are already significant. About 58 per cent of frontline employees in the GCC said AI saved them at least eight hours a week, rising to 67 per cent among managers and leaders.

AI is also changing the skills companies expect from workers. About 85 per cent of GCC frontline employees and 92 per cent of managers and leaders said AI had changed the skills expected of them in their jobs.

“The GCC’s exceptional AI adoption rates reflect a workforce that has moved decisively beyond experimentation into real integration,” said Robert Xu, managing director and partner at BCG X.

Xu said the region’s highest-performing organisations stood out not simply for deploying AI tools, but for investing in employees’ AI capabilities and redesigning how work was done.

Globally, 74 per cent of frontline employees are now regular AI users, up 23 percentage points from 2025, according to BCG. India and Middle Eastern markets were among those recording the highest levels of regular frontline AI use.

AI agents could reshape jobs
The growing use of autonomous AI agents could bring a more significant change to workplaces over the next several years.

Around 60 per cent of GCC frontline employees and 66 per cent of managers and leaders believe AI agents could perform at least half of their current job responsibilities within the next three years, according to BCG’s regional findings.

Despite those expectations, concerns about job losses remained relatively contained. About 28 per cent of frontline employees and 29 per cent of managers and leaders in the GCC said they feared losing their jobs to AI.

The technology also appears to be having a positive effect on workplace satisfaction for many users. About 69 per cent of GCC frontline workers and 77 per cent of managers and leaders reported greater enjoyment at work since adopting AI, according to BCG.

Globally, however, the study found a widening gap between AI adoption and companies’ ability to translate the time it saves into greater business value.
Among frontline employees who regularly use AI worldwide, 42 per cent reported saving at least eight hours a week. Yet 66 per cent received limited or no guidance on what to do with the time saved, while more than half said they were not reinvesting that time in more strategic work.

“The promisingly rapid initial phase of AI adoption will only be sustained with deliberate leadership action,” said Rami Mourtada, partner and director at BCG.
Mourtada said organisations needed clear strategic guidance and greater alignment between what management says about AI and how employees actually use the technology in their daily work.

Training also remains a significant challenge. Globally, 72 per cent of respondents said AI had changed the skills expected of them, while only 36 per cent believed they had received adequate upskilling.

Only a third of frontline employees globally said leadership communicated clearly about AI, while 28 per cent saw strong alignment between what leaders said and what their organisations actually did.

The adoption of AI agents is also accelerating. About 30 per cent of respondents globally said AI agents were already integrated into workflows, up from 13 per cent in 2025, while another 50 per cent said their workplaces had conducted agent experiments or pilots.

Around 61 per cent of respondents globally believed AI agents could perform at least half of their jobs within the next three years.

BCG’s 2026 AI at Work report is based on a global survey of 11,749 frontline employees, managers and leaders across 14 markets.

The consultancy said the findings showed that as AI adoption becomes increasingly widespread, the challenge for companies is shifting from giving employees access to AI tools towards redesigning workflows, improving training and establishing governance structures capable of managing the technology.

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has urged Taxable Persons to file their Tax Returns and pay Corporate Tax due within nine months of the end of their Tax Period, as the September 30 deadline approaches.

The FTA said all Taxable Persons, including those eligible for Small Business Relief, whose financial year ended on December 31, 2025, must file their Tax Returns and pay the Corporate Tax due no later than September 30, 2026.

The authority also said Exempt Persons are required to register to file their annual declarations with the FTA within nine months of the end of their financial year, a WAM report said.

Read more-UAE Corporate Tax penalty waiver benefits 68,600 businesses

It urged all concerned to prepare early and ensure the necessary documents are ready to meet their tax obligations efficiently and within the statutory deadlines.

The FTA confirmed that registration, Tax Return filing and payment of Corporate Tax due are available around the clock through the EmaraTax digital tax services platform.

Taxable Persons can file their Tax Returns directly through the platform or seek assistance from approved Tax Agents listed on the FTA’s website.

Records must be maintained

Taxable Persons eligible for Small Business Relief must fulfil their compliance obligations under the Corporate Tax Law for each Tax Period.

These obligations include registering for Corporate Tax, filing simplified Tax Returns and maintaining all relevant documents supporting the accuracy of information provided in their Tax Returns or any other documents required to be submitted.

The FTA said the records and documents that must be maintained include records of the Taxable Person’s transactions during the Tax Period, an asset register detailing purchases and disposals of assets, records of liabilities, and details of shares or ownership interests held at the end of the Tax Period.

The FTA warned that failure to maintain the required records and any other information specified under the Tax Procedures Law and the Corporate Tax Law will result in administrative penalties in accordance with the relevant tax legislation.

Amanat Holdings (Amanat) has a firm number in mind — Dhs1.5bn to deploy over the next three years — but, pointedly, no fixed formula for spending it. The Dubai-listed investment company, one of the largest dedicated healthcare and education platforms in the GCC, is refusing to pre-divide that capital between organic expansion, greenfield projects and acquisitions. “We want to ensure that capital follows opportunity rather than being constrained by a predetermined allocation,” says CEO John Ireland.

That flexibility is the thread running through Amanat’s next chapter. The group is scaling two core platforms, Cambridge Health Group, now wholly owned and on a path from 715 beds towards more than 1,000, and its listed education arm Almasar, which served close to 28,900 students and beneficiaries in the first half of 2026 while eyeing selective acquisitions across the region and beyond. It does so from a position of unusual financial strength: around Dhs1.4bn in cash as of March 2026, and gearing of just 10 per cent.

Here, Ireland talks to Gulf Business about where the strongest growth lies across GCC healthcare and education, how Amanat intends to avoid overpaying as competition for quality assets intensifies, and why the group is confident it can fund an ambitious investment programme while sustaining its new dividend — all held to the discipline of a minimum 10 per cent return on equity.

Amanat plans to deploy Dhs1.5bn over the next three years. How much will be allocated to organic expansion, greenfield projects and acquisitions, and how will the programme be financed?

Over the next three years, Amanat is targeting the deployment of approximately Dhs1.5bn. We do not intend to set fixed allocations between organic expansion, greenfield developments and acquisitions. We want to retain the flexibility to direct capital towards the opportunities that offer the strongest strategic fit, attractive returns and the greatest potential to create long-term value.

In healthcare, this includes expanding our existing businesses, developing new facilities and services, and pursuing selective acquisitions. Cambridge Health Group, for example, is progressing a new 155-bed integrated post-acute care facility in Riyadh and a 70-bed expansion of its Jeddah hospital, alongside ongoing capacity and service enhancements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

In education, we will continue to support Almasar’s growth, including the expansion of its existing businesses, capacity and service offering, while pursuing opportunities where it can leverage its established capabilities and market positions.

The programme will be funded through a combination of internal cash resources, cash generated by the businesses, capital recycling and, where appropriate, debt financing. We have a strong balance sheet and are open to all forms of financing where the terms are appropriate and where additional capital allows us to pursue attractive opportunities.

Our approach is deliberately flexible: we want to ensure that capital follows opportunity rather than being constrained by a predetermined allocation. This allows us to respond to market opportunities as they arise while maintaining the financial discipline that underpins our strategy.

Which GCC markets and healthcare or education segments offer the strongest growth opportunities, and what criteria will determine where Amanat invests first?

We continue to see significant opportunities across the GCC in both healthcare and education, particularly in segments where demand is growing, and there remains a gap between the services available and the needs of the communities we serve.

In healthcare, we see strong opportunities in post-acute care, rehabilitation, long-term care and complementary services such as surgical capabilities and home healthcare. We also see significant potential in specialist areas such as dementia, mental health and neurological care, where demand is growing and specialist provision remains relatively underdeveloped across the region.

In education, we see attractive opportunities across higher education, Special Needs Education and Care and selected K-12 opportunities, supported by favourable demographics and increasing demand for high-quality education.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia will remain our core markets, where we have established businesses, strong market positions and deep operating expertise. At the same time, we will remain open to opportunities across the wider GCC and selectively in international markets where they complement our existing businesses and capabilities.

Ultimately, our investment decisions will be guided by strategic fit, market fundamentals, our ability to execute, expected returns, cash generation and risk. Our target of achieving a return on equity of at least 10 per cent provides an important financial discipline to our capital allocation.

We are not looking to invest simply because a market is growing. We want to invest where Amanat has a clear right to win and where our capital and operating expertise can create sustainable long-term value for shareholders.

What expansion plans do you have for Cambridge Health Group and Almasar Education, and what revenue, capacity or geographic targets have you set for each platform?

Cambridge Health Group currently has 715 beds across six facilities in the GCC, with a clear pathway to more than 1,000 beds. Our confidence in the business is reflected in the recent acquisition of the remaining minority interest, bringing Amanat’s ownership to 100 per cent.

We are continuing to expand Cambridge through new facilities, capacity expansions and complementary services. This includes the development of a new 155-bed integrated post-acute care facility in Riyadh, the 70-bed expansion of our Jeddah hospital, and ongoing capacity and service enhancements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

We also see opportunities to broaden Cambridge’s specialist offering, including rehabilitation, home healthcare, surgical services and other areas of complex care, as well as through selective acquisitions.

Almasar is Amanat’s listed education subsidiary, and we are very supportive of its continued growth. It served approximately 28,900 students and beneficiaries in H1 2026, representing 21 per cent year-on-year growth, and continues to expand across higher education and special needs education and care. We see opportunities to continue expanding capacity, enhancing its offering and entering attractive adjacent areas where it can leverage its existing capabilities.

For both businesses, our focus is on sustainable and profitable growth rather than growth for its own sake. We will continue to invest where we see strong demand, attractive returns and a clear ability to build on the market positions and capabilities we have established.

What acquisition opportunities are you considering, and how will you avoid overpaying for assets as competition for high-quality healthcare and education businesses increases?

We are evaluating a strong pipeline of selective acquisition opportunities across healthcare and education, both in the GCC and internationally. Our focus is on businesses that complement our existing capabilities, strengthen our market positions, add specialist expertise or provide access to attractive new growth opportunities.

Our approach to acquisitions is disciplined and highly selective. Every opportunity is assessed against a combination of strategic and financial criteria, including strategic fit, market fundamentals, expected returns, cash generation, operational capability and execution risk. The target of achieving a return on equity of at least 10 per cent provides an important discipline to our capital allocation decisions.

We also look carefully at where we can add value following an acquisition. Our track record of acquiring, developing and scaling businesses such as Cambridge Health Group and Middlesex University Dubai gives us confidence in our ability to identify businesses where our capital and operating expertise can accelerate growth and enhance performance.

Competition for high-quality assets is healthy, but we will remain disciplined on valuation. We are not seeking to win transactions at any price; we are seeking to invest in businesses where we believe we can generate attractive returns and create sustainable long-term value for our shareholders.

Amanat has introduced a three-year dividend policy targeting minimum annual distributions of 7 fils per share. How confident are you that the company can maintain those payments while funding its Dhs1.5bn investment programme?

We are confident that Amanat can deliver both continued growth and sustainable shareholder returns. The Board’s decision to introduce a three-year dividend policy targeting a minimum annual distribution of 7 fils per share or 7 per cent of issued share capital reflects our confidence in the strength of our businesses, cash generation and balance sheet. The policy remains subject to financial performance, cash flow generation and the required approvals.

We enter this next phase from a position of financial strength, following a period in which we have actively optimised our portfolio and generated significant cash proceeds. As of March this year, we had approximately Dhs1.4bn in cash, Dhs0.8bn in net cash and gearing of only 10 per cent, providing us with significant financial flexibility.

Our Dhs1.5bn investment programme will be funded through a combination of internal cash resources, cash generated by the businesses, capital recycling and, where appropriate, financing. We are open to all forms of financing and will select the most appropriate structure for each investment, while maintaining a strong and efficient balance sheet.

Importantly, our dividend policy has been designed alongside our growth strategy, not at its expense. We believe our strong businesses, balance sheet and disciplined capital allocation provide us with the flexibility to continue investing in attractive growth opportunities while delivering a sustainable return to shareholders.

Ultimately, our objective is to grow Amanat, improve our returns on capital and provide shareholders with a sustainable and growing value proposition over the long term.

Amanat is targeting a return on equity of at least 10 per cent. What operational and financial changes are needed to reach that level, and what are the main risks that could prevent the company from meeting its target?

Our target of achieving a return on equity of at least 10 per cent will be driven by a combination of profitable growth, operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation.

We have a strong track record of acquiring, developing and scaling market-leading businesses, and our focus now is on continuing to grow our existing healthcare and education businesses, increasing capacity, introducing complementary and higher-value services and maintaining operational excellence across the Group.

ROE is also a key metric in how we assess our investment opportunities. Every investment is evaluated against defined financial and strategic criteria, including expected returns, strategic fit, market fundamentals, execution risk and cash generation. This ensures that the Dhs1.5bn investment programme is focused on the quality of capital deployed, rather than simply the amount deployed.

The main risks are execution-related, including acquisitions taking longer to integrate, new facilities ramping up more slowly than expected, or investments not delivering the expected returns. Our disciplined investment process, strong balance sheet and operating experience are important safeguards against these risks.

Ultimately, growth alone is not enough. Our objective is to deliver profitable growth, achieve operational excellence, improve returns on the capital we deploy and create sustainable long-term value for our shareholders.

Sharjah’s flagship Al Taawun Tunnel project is on track for a soft opening in November 2026 as part of a wider Dhs750m road infrastructure programme designed to improve connectivity between Sharjah and Dubai and reduce congestion on one of the UAE’s busiest commuter corridors.

The project, announced under the directives of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, forms the centrepiece of a package of five interconnected road developments. The wider programme includes new tunnels, bridges and free-flow intersections intended to increase road capacity and improve traffic movement across key routes linking the two emirates.

At the heart of the scheme is a 500-metre dual-carriageway tunnel beneath Al Taawun Roundabout, allowing vehicles to bypass one of Sharjah’s most congested junctions and connect directly with Al Nahda Bridge towards Dubai. The development also includes five new bridges aimed at streamlining traffic movements and reducing delays caused by signalised intersections and roundabouts.

Authorities are using precast concrete construction methods to accelerate delivery, with work progressing under a phased traffic management plan. Temporary diversions have been in place since June, redirecting motorists via Al Corniche Street and the newly developed Al Taawun Street while construction continues.

The Al Taawun corridor is one of the busiest commuter routes between Sharjah and Dubai, serving residents travelling from areas including Al Taawun, Al Nahda, Al Khan and Al Majaz. The tunnel is expected to significantly reduce bottlenecks by enabling uninterrupted traffic flow beneath the existing roundabout.

The Al Taawun Tunnel is one element of Sharjah’s broader investment in transport infrastructure to accommodate rising traffic volumes, improve mobility and support the emirate’s long-term urban growth. While the first phase is scheduled for a soft opening in November, the wider Dhs750m programme includes additional road links and bridges that will be delivered in phases through the end of 2026.

Gold fell to its lowest in more than three weeks on Wednesday as the escalating Middle East conflict lifted oil prices, stoking inflation and rate-hike fears, while investors focused on upcoming US jobs data.

Spot gold nudged 0.2 per cent lower to $4,321.31 per ounce by 0639 GMT, after hitting its lowest since August 7 earlier in the session. Prices were headed for a fourth straight session of decline and remained below the 200-day moving average, a closely watched technical level.

US gold futures for December delivery fell 0.6 per cent to $4,368.50.

Read more-Market moves: Commodities split as gold, silver and diamonds take different paths

The US dollar held firm, making greenback-priced metals costlier for buyers using other currencies.

The US and Iran found themselves back on a war footing after the most significant exchange in weeks. Oil prices rose for a third straight session, while US Treasury yields climbed.

“A rebound in oil prices after renewed US-Iran tensions added to inflation concerns. Pricier crude could continue to tighten monetary policy expectations and drive yields higher, limiting any rebound potential for gold,” said Bas Kooijman, CEO and asset manager of DHF Capital SA.

Gold is seen as a hedge against inflation, but higher interest rates weigh on its appeal as it offers no yield.

Traders are pricing in a 70 per cent chance of a rate hike at the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting this month, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

Fed Governor Michael Barr said if inflation does not cool quickly, it will be time for the central bank to raise rates. Fed Chair Kevin Warshsignaled in his Jackson Hole speech last week that the Fed may need to hike.

Investors are now awaiting the ADP employment report, due later in the day, and the more crucial nonfarm payrolls data on Friday.

“Softer figures could ease the pressure on gold, while stronger data or more hawkish Fed comments may extend the decline,” Kooijman said.