Where the most consequential cross-regional opportunities will emerge between now and 2035.
The next ten years in the GCC will not look like the last ten. The headline opportunity is no longer hydrocarbons; it is the industries those hydrocarbons are funding.
Five themes to watch
Clean energy at industrial scale. AI compute and the data centres that house it. Advanced manufacturing tied to national security. Tourism and luxury hospitality reimagined for a global Gen Z audience. And a new wave of family-office private capital flowing across the Indian Ocean rim.
What this means for Asian operators
The window to enter early — and to build the relationships that compound — is open now. Those who arrive in 2030 will find a region already shaped by those who arrived in 2026.
Published · January 20, 2026