Jasim Al-Badawi: Gulf commodity trade with the world reaches $1.6 trillion
KUNA – Jasem Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), affirmed that the GCC states have successfully built a strong economic, financial, and investment base and enhanced their capacity to adapt to global changes, thereby consolidating their position as a global destination for investment and long-term economic partnerships.
He made these remarks during a dialogue session titled “GCC Economies: Resilience, Investment, and Strategic Partnerships,” organized by DLA Piper and Hybrid Advisory in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Al-Budaiwi stated that the combined size of the GCC economies is approximately $2.4 trillion, while the assets of Gulf sovereign wealth funds exceed $5 trillion and commercial bank assets amount to about $3.9 trillion. He added that the volume of goods trade between the GCC states and the world reaches approximately $1.6 trillion.
He explained that these capabilities support the trajectory of economic transformation and diversification through investment in industry, technology, artificial intelligence, clean energy, logistics, tourism, financial services, and infrastructure.
He noted that the stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the GCC states reached approximately $792.7 billion in 2025, emphasizing that the GCC’s investment vision extends beyond the volume of attracted capital to include technology and knowledge transfer, enhancing productive capacities, and creating job opportunities.
He added that approximately $171 billion of the FDI stock received by the GCC states in 2025 originated from within the GCC itself, representing about 22% of the total and reflecting the growing movement of intra-Gulf capital and business activities.
Al-Budaiwi affirmed the GCC states’ openness to building new, long-term partnerships based on mutual investment, technology and knowledge transfer, project development, and the construction of more integrated and resilient value chains, thereby achieving shared value and sustainable long-term growth.
