Editor’s note: The UAE Cyber Security Council has convened the CyberFirst UAE Summit 2026 in Abu Dhabi, bringing together government leaders, CISOs, and technology executives to address rising cyber risks and strengthen national resilience. The discussions come as digital transformation accelerates across the UAE’s economy, increasing exposure to complex and fast-evolving threats. Closely aligned with the UAE National Cybersecurity Strategy, the summit focused on how policy, leadership, and secure-by-design approaches can safeguard critical infrastructure, data, and trust. For a digital-first economy, cybersecurity is not only a technical issue but a core pillar of economic stability and innovation.
Key points
- The summit aligned with the UAE National Cybersecurity Strategy and the country’s digital economy agenda.
- Speakers highlighted a nearly 40% year-on-year rise in cyber incidents across the GCC.
- Key themes included AI and cloud security, Zero Trust architectures, and cyber governance.
- An awards ceremony recognized leadership and innovation across the cybersecurity ecosystem.
Why this matters
As the UAE scales its digital economy, cyber resilience becomes essential to protecting infrastructure, financial systems, and public confidence. The summit underscores how cybersecurity now underpins innovation, cloud adoption, and AI deployment across sectors such as finance, energy, and healthcare. For builders and investors, strong national frameworks reduce systemic risk. For users and institutions, they help preserve trust in an increasingly interconnected digital environment across the UAE and the wider region.
What to watch next
- Follow-up initiatives tied to the UAE National Cybersecurity Strategy.
- Adoption of secure-by-design and Zero Trust frameworks across critical sectors.
- Ongoing collaboration between government and industry partners on threat intelligence.
Disclosure: The content below is a press release provided by the company/PR representative. It is published for informational purposes.
Abu Dhabi: The UAE Cyber Security Council successfully hosted the CyberFirst UAE Summit 2026 today in Abu Dhabi, convening CISOs, senior cybersecurity executives, government authorities, and technology pioneers to advance national cyber resilience and reinforce the UAE’s digital leadership amid an increasingly complex and evolving threat landscape.
Held as a high-level platform for strategic dialogue, the summit underscored the critical role of cybersecurity in supporting the UAE’s AED 100 billion-plus digital economy agenda. As digital transformation accelerates across sectors, cybersecurity has become a defining pillar of national development, safeguarding critical infrastructure, sensitive data, and public trust across an interconnected digital ecosystem.
The CyberFirst UAE Summit 2026 was closely aligned with the UAE National Cybersecurity Strategy, which has positioned the country among the world’s most cyber-ready nations. In 2024, the UAE achieved a 100% score in the Global Cybersecurity Index, earning recognition as a global “Pioneering Model” for cyber readiness, reflecting sustained national investment in governance, innovation, and digital trust.
Despite this progress, discussions at the summit acknowledged that the regional threat landscape continues to intensify, with cyber incidents across the GCC rising by nearly 40% year-on-year.
Highlighting the importance of collective resilience, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, said: “Cybersecurity is no longer a purely technical function; it is a national imperative that underpins economic growth, public trust, and societal resilience. As digital transformation accelerates, the scale, speed, and sophistication of cyber threats demand a unified approach that brings together policy, innovation, and leadership.”
Dr. Al Kuwaiti added: “The CyberFirst UAE Summit served as a critical platform for collaboration, enabling decision-makers and industry leaders to align on strategy, share intelligence, and advance the adoption of secure-by-design frameworks. By strengthening cyber resilience today, we help ensure that the UAE’s digital future remains trusted, competitive, and globally respected.”
The one-day summit acted as a catalyst for policy exchange, strategic collaboration, and innovation leadership, bringing together senior stakeholders from government, finance, utilities and energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure sectors. Key discussions focused on national cyber resilience, AI and cloud security, Zero Trust architectures, cyber governance and regulation, threat intelligence, supply chain security, and the role of leadership in sustaining digital trust.
A major highlight of the event was the Awards & Recognition Ceremony, which celebrated excellence and leadership across the cybersecurity ecosystem. Award categories included Cloud & AI Security Excellence Award, Cybersecurity Leader of the Year – UAE & MENA, Cybersecurity Innovator of the Year, Cybersecurity Woman of the Year – UAE, Best Zero Trust Implementation Award, Cybersecurity Strategy and Vision Award, Best Cybersecurity Innovation Award, Threat Intelligence Leadership Award, and Cybersecurity Distribution Excellence Award.
The CyberFirst UAE Summit 2026 reinforced the UAE’s vision of becoming a global hub for digital trust and cybersecurity excellence, contributing to a secure, resilient, and future-ready digital environment for the nation and the wider region. The summit was supported by leading industry partners, with sponsors including Google Cloud Security, Anomali, OPSWAT, Pentera, AmiViz, hwg, Tenable, Securonix, Paramount Assuring Value, and Kron Technologies.
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