The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries now have nine unicorns, up from seven last year, with a combined value of $45 billion (Dh165.15 billion), according to the Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2026.
The UAE accounts for seven of them, while Saudi Arabia has two.
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Unicorns — privately held startups valued at $1 billion or more — have become an important indicator of the UAE’s and the GCC’s growing technology and innovation ecosystems. The UAE, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has emerged as a regional hub for high-growth businesses, attracting international investors and entrepreneurs across fintech, e-commerce, logistics, digital payments and artificial intelligence.
Saudi Arabia is also seeking to build a stronger startup ecosystem as part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification drive, supported by investments in technology, digital infrastructure and entrepreneurship. While the UAE has produced several billion-dollar technology businesses, the wider GCC is increasingly competing to attract global venture capital and nurture home-grown startups.
According to the Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2026, the GCC had nine unicorns collectively valued at $45 billion, with seven in the UAE and two in Saudi Arabia. Examples include UAE-based cloud kitchen operator Kitopi and AI-focused company AI.Tech, alongside Saudi fintech firms Tabby and Tamara. The figures highlight the region’s expanding pipeline of billion-dollar businesses, although unicorn counts and valuations vary across research providers and depend on how companies are classified.
Telegram, which is based in the UAE, is the region’s most valuable unicorn, valued at $30 billion — about two-thirds of the Gulf’s total.
Hurun said Saudi Arabia’s Tabby, a buy-now-pay-later firm valued at $4.5 billion, and Tamara, valued at $1 billion, reflect the Kingdom’s growing fintech ambitions. In the UAE, cloud kitchen operator Kitopi, valued at $1.6 billion, and AI.Tech, valued at $1.5 billion, point to diversification beyond finance.
The UAE also has three unicorns in the media and entertainment sector, behind only the US (23), China (11) and the UK (4), the index shows.
Earlier this year, Hurun reported that the number of billionaires in the GCC rose by nine to 48. The UAE led with 28, followed by Saudi Arabia with 17, Qatar with two and Kuwait with one.
