GISEC Global 2026, the world’s third largest cybersecurity event, runs from 16 to 18 September 2026 at Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai. Its 15th edition is roughly 20 percent larger year-on-year and adds a Cyber First Leadership Summit, a Quantum Security Summit, and a Global Quantum Drill, all under the theme “Cyber First: The New Digital Order.”

[For more news, click here]

Artificial intelligence has become the cybersecurity industry’s sharpest tool and its most pressing liability at once, hardening defences while handing attackers faster and more sophisticated ways in. The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 captures that tension in two figures, with 94 percent of organisations expecting AI to be the biggest driver of cybersecurity change over the coming year and 87 percent naming AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk.

GISEC Global 2026 opens its 15th edition at Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai from 16 to 18 September 2026. Organised by inD, a joint venture between the Dubai World Trade Centre and Informa, it runs under the theme “Cyber First: The New Digital Order.”

Billed as the world’s third largest cybersecurity event and the most influential such platform across the Middle East and Africa, GISEC Global has expanded 20 percent year-on-year. Hosted and endorsed by the UAE Cyber Security Council, the Dubai Electronic Security Center, the Ministry of Interior, and Dubai Police, the 2026 edition is expected to draw more than 25,000 cybersecurity professionals, over 750 exhibiting brands, more than 350 expert speakers, and participants from more than 180 countries.

Cyber First and a new era of leadership

The Cyber First framing is the organisers’ way of arguing that cybersecurity has outgrown the server room to become a boardroom, government, and national priority. H.E. Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, placed the stakes in national and international terms.

“Artificial intelligence, geopolitical instability and the rapid evolution of digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated and interconnected, no single nation or organisation can address these challenges alone.

The UAE is committed to fostering international collaboration, advancing cyber resilience and building trusted digital ecosystems that enable innovation and sustainable economic growth. GISEC Global 2026 will bring together governments, industry and the global cybersecurity community to develop practical solutions that help safeguard our shared digital future.”

The new Cyber First Leadership Summit is a gathering of ministers, national cyber authorities, global chief information security officers, and technology leaders around artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, nation-state cyber threats, and the resilience of tomorrow’s digital economies. Confirmed speakers include H.E. Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council; Subra Kumaraswamy, SVP & CISO, VISA, USA; Alex Attumalil, Global CISO, Under Armour (USA); and Roeland Delrue, Co-founder & COO, Aikido Security (Belgium), with additional international government leaders expected.

For inD, the organiser, the case is as much economic as technical. Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, inD, framed it plainly.

“The digital economy can only thrive if it is built on trust, resilience and secure innovation. Today, cybersecurity is no longer solely a technology issue. It is fundamental to economic growth, national resilience and international competitiveness.

At a time when cyber threats are no longer isolated IT issues but direct challenges to economies, sovereignty and public trust, GISEC Global becomes a critical platform that helps nations strengthen resilience, accelerate capability, and connect with the world’s foremost cybersecurity leaders.”

What is new at GISEC Global 2026

The expanded conference programme mirrors a fast-moving risk environment shaped by artificial intelligence, quantum computing, dual-use technologies, geopolitical instability, and critical infrastructure resilience. Alongside the Leadership Summit, a new National Defence & Sovereign Cyber Track examines cyber resilience through a national security lens, while the Quantum Security Summit, hosted by the UAE Cyber Security Council and the Technology Innovation Institute, is built to prepare governments and organisations for the transition to the post-quantum era.

It also introduces the Global Quantum Drill, an evolution of the former Global Cyber Drill into what is planned to be the world’s largest quantum readiness exercise, plus an expanded Government Programme hosted by the Dubai Electronic Security Center and the UAE Cyber Security Council. Dedicated stages span operational technology security, critical infrastructure protection, cyber diplomacy, ethical hacking, AI-powered cyber defence, cloud security, and workforce development. H.E. Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Chief Executive of the Dubai Electronic Security Center, pointed to the talent pipeline as a priority.

“GISEC Global has consistently been an important platform for DESC to engage with the cybersecurity community, exchange expertise and advance Dubai’s cyber resilience. This year, we are building on that momentum with the second editions of two of our flagship competitions, the Dubai Cyber Challenge – Government Edition, and the School of Cyber Defense, giving university students across the UAE an opportunity to demonstrate and develop their skills. Together, they reflect our continued investment in strengthening cyber capabilities at every level, from developing the next generation of talent to advancing the skills of professionals safeguarding our government entities.

Our participation this year will also go beyond the competitions, with new initiatives and developments that reflect DESC’s continued focus on anticipating emerging challenges and strengthening Dubai’s cybersecurity ecosystem. We look forward to unveiling more at GISEC Global 2026.”

The exhibition floor gathers cloud hyperscalers and cybersecurity specialists including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Huawei, EDGE, CPX Holding, CyberKnight, and Spire Solutions, alongside hundreds of international companies showing the latest in cyber resilience, AI-enabled defence, and secure digital transformation. Corey Deng, Chief Security Officer of Huawei Middle East & Central Asia, described a field being redefined.

“The new digital order is fundamentally changing what cybersecurity means. As AI, cloud and digital technologies become increasingly embedded in critical operations, security must evolve beyond protection to become a foundation for intelligence and resilience. GISEC GLOBAL is an important platform for bringing together the leaders shaping this future, and Huawei is proud to contribute to this dialogue through our vision of ‘Embedded Intelligence, Built-in Resilience’ and our experience in building secure, resilient, and intelligent infrastructure.”

Building Global Cyber Resilience

The event positions itself as common ground where governments, industry, and academia trade knowledge, build partnerships, and work on practical defences for critical infrastructure. It also ties into the UAE’s own roadmap, supporting the Dubai Cyber Security Strategy, the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, the Digital Economy Strategy, and We the UAE 2031.

Registration and Details

Tech Revolt is an official media partner of GISEC Global 2026, which runs from 16 to 18 September 2026 at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai. Registration and full details are available at gisec.ae.

Related Articles

The AI Agent Security Gap Is Closing, and the Middle East Is Proving to Be the Fastest Market to Demand It

Group-IB Launches Advanced Cyber Fraud Intelligence Platform

Genetec Predicts Top Physical Security Trends for 2026