Capital in action - scaling growth and building resilience
PwC’s Global Investor Survey 2025: Middle East findings
In an otherwise measured global investment outlook, the Middle East’s focus on AI, resilience, governance and sustainability is reshaping capital allocation. Our latest survey captures the views of investors in the region, highlighting how these priorities are driving shifts in investor strategies.
“Investors today are taking a sharper look at where Middle East businesses truly stand, scrutinising the risk and reward profile of key investments, identifying where the real value accretion bets lie and where opportunities may be more constrained. Companies in the region must adopt strategies that are both pragmatic and impactful, grounded in disciplined capital allocation and have the courage to reposition portfolios for longer-term, sustainable value creation to attract partners and inbound investors.”
The outlook for business has rarely been more uncertain. Geopolitical tensions, accelerating climate risk, rapid technological advances and shifting demographics are reshaping the global operating environment. While business leaders in the Middle East are building long-term resilience, the findings of PwC’s Global Investor Survey 2025 reveal how this period of heightened volatility is transforming investor expectations in the region.
Drawing on insights from more than 300 investment decision-makers, capital providers, sovereign wealth funds, analysts and advisors active in the Middle East, this report explores the questions business leaders must now confront:
How will capital allocation be prioritised?
How will evolving technologies shape revenue growth?
How will access to capital change and what will investors require in return?
Understanding these shifts will be critical for companies seeking to secure capital and compete in a fast transforming regional and global economy.
Key findings from PwC’s Global Investor Survey 2025: Middle East findings:
Technology anchors the Middle East’s investment thesis
64% of investors covering companies in the Middle East expect the technology sector to attract the highest levels of investment over the next three years.
Cyber tops the mega-trend risk
62% of investors believe the companies they invest in or cover in the Middle East will be highly or extremely exposed to cyber risk in the next 12 months.
Innovation is now a core valuation lens
89% of investors indicate that when evaluating a company’s AI strategy, how a company is using AI to reinvent their business model is most important; 85% are also looking at the impact of AI on performance.
Energy strategy is an investment multiplier
96% would at least slightly increase investment in companies managing energy demand and infrastructure.
Greater transparency on AI
42% of Middle East focused respondents want more clarity on AI-related investments, and 44% on AI-related returns and cost savings.
The outlook
Investors are recalibrating what they reward, and their expectations are clear: organisations must adapt at speed, strengthen structural resilience and sharpen foresight in a world shaped by AI acceleration and intensifying climate risk.
In the decade ahead where industry boundaries will blur and value pools will shift, ambition alone will not secure capital. Leaders must pair bold reinvention with operational rigour, embed resilience into business and energy models, and clearly articulate how these choices translate into long-term value. Those that demonstrate disciplined strategy, credible foresight, and measurable outcomes will help define the next era of growth.
“The Middle East has a real opportunity to set the benchmark for investor confidence in the years ahead. As capital accelerates toward AI-enabled growth and large-scale transformation, investors are looking for more than ambition – they want transparency, strong governance and clear evidence of returns. Organisations that embed high-quality reporting, robust controls and credible oversight of emerging risks into their strategy will not only strengthen trust, but position themselves to attract sustained, long-term capital.”
Read PwC’s Global Investor Survey 2025: Middle East findings
to discover where investor capital is flowing — and how business leaders can capture value and ensure long-term growth.
The authors would like to thank Gale Wilkinson and Jad Al Hassan for their contributions to this report.
Contact us
Partner, ME Deals Strategy & Operations Leader, ME Sovereign Wealth Funds & PE Leader, Industrials & Automotive, Transport & Logistics, Defense & Aerospace, PwC Middle East
+971 26 946811
Stuart Scoular
Partner, ME Assurance Financial Services Leader, PwC Middle East
Tarek Shoukri
Global Sovereign & Principal Investors , PwC Middle East
