Sharjah Investment Forum has outlined the programme for its ninth edition, scheduled for 14–15 October 2026 at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre. A 3 October Emirates News Agency report describes an event organised by Invest in Sharjah with the UAE Ministry of Investment under the theme Building Adaptive Economies. Organisers expect more than 10,000 participants from over 60 countries, alongside more than 80 speakers, over 20 exhibitors and more than 140 activities. These figures describe the planned gathering, rather than attendance already recorded or investments already secured.

The programme links six areas: agentic artificial intelligence, future consumer behaviour, global capital flows, supply-chain resilience, business growth and reinvestment, and connections between startups and investors. The AI discussions will consider systems that plan and perform tasks towards specified goals, as well as the data, governance, accountability and human oversight needed when businesses adopt them. Consumer sessions will examine how demographics, technology and expectations for convenience, personalisation and sustainability influence demand. Together, these subjects frame investment as a question of operating conditions and customers as well as access to financing.

Transport and logistics feature in the supply-chain sessions, which will examine ports, railways, infrastructure investment and diversified trading links. A separate panel will consider factors affecting whether businesses expand and reinvest, including licensing, digital services, access to data and innovation. The Seal the Deal initiative is scheduled to return on the second day through a two-hour session linking businesses with potential investors. WAM reports that nine startups pitched in its 2025 edition and attracted commitments exceeding AED4 million. That is an earlier edition’s result and does not establish that any equivalent financing has been agreed for the forthcoming session.

In a related interview published by WAM on 4 October, Invest in Sharjah chief executive Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh said the emirate’s number of foreign direct investment projects grew 45% in 2025. His remarks provide retrospective economic context for the forthcoming forum, rather than a new October project award. He described increasingly selective investors seeking stability, clear prospects and adaptable regulation, and emphasised Sharjah’s production and knowledge base. The programme announcement and interview identify issues for discussion and opportunities for contacts; neither sets out a signed investment package, a guaranteed return or completed outcomes for the October meeting.