DOHA: Eleven Qatari firms were featured in the list of 100 most valuable companies in the Middle East by Forbes 2026 magazine.
The following firms have made it to the ranking of most valuable companies in their respective categories in March issue of Forbes Middle East: QNB Group (Rank 11, market value $50.2bn), Group CEO – Abdulla Mubarak Al-Khalifa; Industries Qatar (Rank 27, market value $21.1bn), Chairman and Managing Director – Saad Sherida Al Kaabi; Qatar Islamic Bank (Rank 35, market value $16.2bn), Group CEO – Bassel Gamal; Ooredoo Group (Rank 43, market value $12.5bn), Group CEO – Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo; Ezdan Holding Group (Rank 59, market value $7.57bn) Deputy Group CEO Hani Dabash; Nakilat (Rank 63, market value $7.3bn), CEO – Abdullah Al Sulaiti; AlRayan Bank (Rank 73, market value $5.8bn) Group CEO – Fahad Al Khalifa; Commercial Bank (Rank 79, market value $5.3bn), Group CEO – Stephen Moss; Dukhan Bank (Rank 84, market value $5.125bn) Acting Group CEO – Ahmed Hashem; Qatar International Islamic Bank (Rank 92, market value $4.74bn) CEO – Abdulbasit Al Shaibei; Nebras Energy (Rank 98, market value $4.62bn) Managing Director and CEO Mohammed Nasser Al-Hajri.
In a year when markets elsewhere wobbled, the Middle East’s biggest companies stayed upright and in many cases, grew heavier.
Across 12 stock exchanges, total market capitalisation in MENA reached $4.3 trillion in January 2026. The region’s top 100 listed companies accounted for $3.7 trillion of that figure, a reminder of just how much value is now concentrated at the top.
According to Forbes, the UAE leads the ranking by numbers, with 35 companies on the list, followed closely by Saudi Arabia with 34. Qatar placed 11 companies, Morocco nine, and Kuwait six.
Banking and financial services remain the most crowded sector, with 34 companies represented and a combined market value of $732.6bn. Energy tells a different story. With just nine companies on the list, the sector still commands $1.9 trillion in market capitalisation, underlining how central hydrocarbons remain to the region’s corporate balance sheet. Overall, GCC countries account for 88 percent of the companies in the ranking, it added.
Regarding the methodology, Forbes noted “This ranking is based on market capitalisation data from 12 stock exchanges across 11 MENA countries. Companies were ranked using closing prices as of January 31, 2026. Currency conversions were calculated using exchange rates on the same date.”
