UAE businesses among world’s most confident in navigating trade and tariff challenges finds HSBC survey

UAE corporates are demonstrating resilience and optimism well above global peers, even amid persistent trade and tariff uncertainties, according to HSBC’s latest Global Trade Pulse Survey. The report also highlights a growing focus on South Asia as businesses seek deeper regional partnerships.

The survey found that UAE business confidence is supported by tangible outcomes in the shifting trade landscape. Some 68% of UAE businesses reported positive revenue impacts over the past six months from tariff and trade policies, compared with a global average of 56%, while just 15% experienced negative revenue effects over the same period, versus 26% globally. Overall certainty regarding the impact of trade policy has increased, with 70% of UAE businesses expressing greater clarity – compared to 66% of their global counterparts.

,“UAE businesses are not only adapting to the current trade environment but are seizing the opportunity to re-shape their businesses to capture growth,” said Deyana Cherneva, Head of Global Trade Solutions, Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye at HSBC Bank Middle East. “Increasingly, UAE business leaders are choosing to deepen partnerships with producers in South Asia, reflecting the deepening economic ties between Asia and the Middle East.”

The survey also highlights UAE businesses’ commitment to expanding international trade partnerships. Nearly nine in ten respondents expressed confidence in growing international trade over the next two years, particularly with markets in South Asia. Meanwhile, 31% of UAE businesses reported increasing production in India, well above the global average of 18%, and 11% are increasing production in Sri Lanka, six percentage points above the global average.

The Global Trade Pulse Survey reflects the views of over 6,750 business decision-makers across 17 markets, offering insight into corporate strategies, sentiment, and responses to trade policies.