Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Ranks Number One Arab Power List 2026 

Top of the list this year? H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan claims number one spot in the 2026 Arab Power List. Gulf Business names him leading figure among a hundred who are shifting how growth happens across the region. Influence measured not by status but impact – especially where tech meets bold new approaches. This ranking reflects transformation fueled less by old models, more by forward motion. 

Still, Arab billionaires hold more wealth now despite fewer of them appearing on the list. Over $137.3 billion marks their total worth – a record high since Forbes Middle East began tracking. From seven nations, 36 individuals make the cut, rising by $8.9 billion compared to last year’s tally. That jump equals about 7%. Through shaky world markets, their businesses kept moving forward somehow. 

From Morocco, six women appear on Forbes’ list of 100 most powerful Arab business leaders – proof that strength in enterprise isn’t bound by gender. Starting out behind a bank counter back in 1980, Neveen El Tahri climbed steadily through finance’s ranks. By 1994, she helped launch a brokerage operation, carving space where few had before. Her path led straight to the Egyptian Stock Exchange board – the first time a woman held such a seat. Today, her influence stretches across Delta Shield Management. Running 138 Pyramids, a venture capital entity, keeps her at the center of growth and investment. 

Out of nowhere, Arab entrepreneurs plus high-profile figures are shifting how economies grow nearby – thanks to fresh thinking, tech-focused methods, alongside carefully planned funding moves spanning energy, property deals, travel ventures, airlines, and banking operations. Suddenly, a list of publicly traded businesses based in the UAE reveals 27 from Emirates now sit within global ranking of leading thousand corporations labeled Global Growth Leaders 2026. 

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber takes the lead spot on ICIS’s 2026 Top 40 Power Players – proof of the UAE’s growing mark in international commerce. Not far behind, Arabian Business keeps its spotlight alive by naming game-changing Arab leaders who shape industries differently each year.