Doha, Qatar: Ten Qatari family businesses were featured in the list of Top 100 Arab Family Businesses in the MENA during the year 2026 by Forbes magazine.
The following have made it to the ranking of top companies in their respective categories in June 2026 issue of Forbes Middle East: Power International Holding (Rank 7), Group Chairman – Moutaz Al-Khayyat and President & Group CEO – Ramez Al-Khayyat; Al Faisal Holding (Rank 8), Founder and Chairman – Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani; Darwish Holding (Rank 28), Chairman and Managing Director – Bader Abdullah Al Darwish; Alfardan Corporation (Rank 58), Chairman – Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan; Abu Issa Holding (Rank 70), Chairman –Ashraf Abu Issa; Mohamed bin Hamad Holding Company (MBHH) (Rank 73), Chairman – Jassim bin Mohamed Al Thani; Al Muftah Group (Rank 77), Chairman – Abdulrehman bin Muftah Al-Muftah; and Almana Group (Rank 78), Chairman – Saoud Omar Almana; Jaidah Group (Rank 89), Group Executive Director – Mohammed Jaidah; Marzooq Shamlan Al Shamlan Holding (Rank 94), Chairman – Tariq M Al Shamlan.
The push for innovation and adaptation is crucial in the face of global competition and rapid technological advancements. Many family businesses are investing in research and development, digital transformation, and sustainable practices to secure their place in the evolving market.
According to Forbes, this year’s list reflects that durability but also the pace of transformation. The companies ranked are not coasting on legacy. They are acquiring businesses, listing subsidiaries, closing infrastructure concessions, and pushing hard in market where they were not present.
Qatar’s Power International Holding secured infrastructure contracts worth $11bn in Syria, including the redevelopment of Damascus International Airport and 5,000 MW power projects.
Arab family businesses are not a footnote to the region’s economic story – they are much of the story itself. Across MENA, family-owned and family-run enterprises play a big role in the private- sector wealth, employ millions, and operate across nearly every sector that matters energy, construction, retail, healthcare, logistics, financial services and beyond, it added.
The Arab region’s GDP reached approximately $3.8 trillion in 2025 and is forecast to surpass $4 trillion in 2026, according to the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Dhaman).
The GCC continues to dominate the ranking, with GCC-based companies together accounting for 86 entries with 32 companies from Saudi Arabic, 31 from the UAE, and 10 from Qatar. But the list also captures businesses from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, and Algeria. A reminder that Arab family enterprise extends well beyond the Gulf and in many of these markets is the primary engine of private-sector employment and economic growth.
