Independent confirmation of the UAE’s financial resilience came shortly after, when S&P (Standard and Poor’s) Global Ratings affirmed the UAE’s long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings at ‘AA/A-1+’ with a stable outlook. This is one of the highest sovereign credit ratings in the world, and the stable outlook signals that S&P does not expect the rating to change in the near term.

A few highlights from the S&P assessment are worth unpacking for business owners.

The UAE government’s consolidated net asset position is estimated at 184 percent of GDP for 2026.

Government liquid assets stand at approximately 210 percent of GDP.

Government debt, by contrast, is very low at around 27 percent of GDP.

The consolidated fiscal balance has averaged a surplus of 5.6 percent over the 2021 to 2025 period.

What does this mean in practical terms?

The UAE has enormous financial reserves relative to the size of its economy. Even in a scenario involving significant geopolitical disruption or a downturn in oil revenues, the government has substantial room to act without resorting to emergency measures that could unsettle businesses or the financial system.

S&P also noted that non-oil sectors now account for approximately 75 percent of GDP. This is a significant shift from where the UAE economy stood a decade ago, and it means that the country’s financial stability is no longer closely tied to the price of oil or to any single source of revenue. For business owners operating across sectors from logistics and technology to retail and professional services, this economic diversification is directly relevant. It means the environment in which you operate is more stable and more predictable than it might otherwise be.

On the banking sector specifically, S&P noted strong resilience and financial soundness and projected that solid loan growth will continue into 2026 and 2027, supported by ample liquidity and expected monetary policy easing.