Invest in Sharjah and Alef Group are expanding their public-private investment collaboration. This comes as Sharjah prepares for the ninth edition of the Sharjah Investment Forum (SIF) in October 2026.
Alef Group, the Sharjah-based real estate developer, has been named the exclusive sponsor and partner of the Investors’ Lounge at SIF 2026. This arrangement places the company inside one of the forum’s main spaces for investor meetings. It also allows project discussions and potential partnerships to happen in a dedicated area.
The partnership also goes beyond event sponsorship. Specifically, it brings a major private developer into Sharjah’s wider effort to connect international and regional investors with opportunities across the emirate. This comes at a time when both property transactions and foreign direct investment are showing continued activity.
Alef Group Takes a Central Role at SIF 2026
The Sharjah Investment Forum 2026 will take place on 14–15 October 2026 at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre. It is organised by Invest in Sharjah in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Investment. This year’s forum carries the theme “Building Adaptive Economies.”
More than 10,000 participants and over 80 speakers are expected to attend. In addition, upwards of 140 activities are scheduled across the two-day programme. The scale gives Sharjah another opportunity to put investors, companies, government officials and entrepreneurs in the same place. This is a shift from treating investment promotion as a one-way presentation.
Alef Group’s involvement will centre on the Investors’ Lounge. The space is designed for direct conversations between investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and decision-makers. It gives participants somewhere to discuss projects, financing, expansion plans and potential partnerships away from the main conference programme.
There is already a sizeable benchmark from the previous edition. During SIF 2025, more than 211 B2B meetings took place, with potential investment opportunities worth a combined US$924.5 million discussed.
Public and Private Investment Efforts Move Closer Together
For Invest in Sharjah, the partnership reflects a broader approach to attracting capital. Government-led investment promotion can open doors. However, private companies bring operating experience, active projects and a clearer picture of what investors actually encounter when entering a market.
Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of Invest in Sharjah, said cities are increasingly competing through the strength of their investment ecosystems as capital becomes more mobile internationally. Sharjah’s approach brings government institutions and private-sector expertise together. The aim is to attract quality investment while helping businesses use the emirate as a base for reaching wider markets.
The relationship between Invest in Sharjah and Alef Group did not begin with SIF 2026. Both organisations signed a memorandum of understanding during the Sharjah Ramadan Majlis in March 2025, establishing cooperation around sustainable growth and opportunities within Sharjah’s expanding freehold property market. The upcoming forum takes that relationship into a much more investor-facing environment.
Alef Group Sees Real Estate as Part of Sharjah’s Investment Story
Alef Group’s involvement also shows how real estate is being positioned within Sharjah’s broader investment strategy. Property development is not operating in isolation from the emirate’s efforts to attract companies, entrepreneurs and foreign capital. Residential communities, commercial developments and supporting infrastructure all influence how attractive a location can be for investors. This is an important consideration for those planning a longer-term presence.
Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, CEO of Alef Group, said developers can contribute to an investment destination by creating communities capable of attracting residents alongside local and international buyers and investors. Alef Group’s projects combine residential, commercial and social spaces. Sharjah’s identity and changing community requirements influence how those destinations are planned.
That conversation is happening while Sharjah’s property market records significant transaction activity. Real estate transactions across the emirate reached a record AED65.6 billion in 2025, representing growth of 64.3%. Momentum continued into 2026, with transactions reaching AED29.5 billion during the first half of the year. This marks an increase of 9.3% year-on-year.
For investors arriving at SIF 2026, those figures provide something more tangible than a development pipeline or promotional pitch. Capital is already moving through the market. The next question is which projects and areas of Sharjah capture the next wave of investment.
Sharjah Attracted AED7.74 Billion in FDI Capital Investment
Sharjah’s investment story extends well beyond property. The emirate attracted AED7.74 billion in capital investment through 142 new foreign direct investment projects during 2025. This highlights activity across a broader range of industries.
Invest in Sharjah has also been pushing outward, holding international business meetings and sector-focused discussions intended to connect foreign companies with opportunities inside the emirate. Areas promoted through those efforts have included manufacturing, logistics, automotive industries, technology and real estate.
That wider mix matters for businesses considering Sharjah’s mainland and free zone environments. A company looking at establishing operations in the emirate is rarely considering licensing alone. Access to industrial infrastructure, commercial property, logistics networks, financing, skilled workers and regional markets can all influence where an investment eventually lands.
Sharjah’s investment strategy increasingly treats those pieces as part of the same ecosystem rather than separate selling points.
Investors’ Lounge Brings Deal-Making Into Focus
Large investment conferences can generate plenty of discussion without necessarily producing direct commercial conversations. The Investors’ Lounge is intended to create a more focused environment where companies and investors can move from broad presentations into specific discussions about projects, financing and expansion.
Alef Group’s position as exclusive sponsor and partner gives real estate a visible presence inside that environment. At the same time, the lounge will sit within a much larger forum covering the sectors and technologies shaping Sharjah’s economic development.
For Invest in Sharjah, that creates another route for turning investor interest into practical conversations. For Alef Group, it provides direct access to the regional and international investment community arriving in the emirate.
The bigger picture is Sharjah’s continued push to make private-sector participation part of how investment opportunities are promoted and developed. SIF 2026 on 14–15 October will provide the next major stage for that strategy.
Sources
Emirates News Agency (WAM): Invest in Sharjah, Alef Group strengthen public-private investment collaboration
Sharjah24: Invest in Sharjah, Alef strengthen public-private investment ties
Sharjah24: Sharjah’s Ramadan Majlis to discuss sustainable growth in UAE
Invest in Sharjah: Sharjah-Mexico Business Roundtable
