Why Jamie Dimon is optimistic about peace in the Middle East

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon spoke at the Hill & Valley Forum on March 24. Noam Galai via Getty Images 2026-03-24T17:58:02.391Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Jamie Dimon said he remains optimistic about the future of the Middle East, despite the war in Iran. The JPMorgan CEO said surrounding countries are all aligned in wanting peace. He tied peace to foreign investment in the region, where certain cities have become financial hubs. AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. Why is foreign investment vital in the Middle East? What are the impacts of war on data centers? What role does the UAE play in regional peace? How do cities become financial hubs? How does peace influence economic growth? While the war in Iran poses short-term risks because of its uncertainty, Jamie Dimon thinks the conflict might ultimately create more long-term peace. Loading audio narration... The JPMorgan CEO said on Tuesday that he remains optimistic about the region's future, despite the war in Iran."Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, America, Israel, all want permanent peace in the Middle East," he said at the Hill and Valley Forum in Washington, DC, adding that Israel should do more toward beginning to set up a "rational" Palestinian state. He said that the countries' attitudes toward peace have evolved over the past decades. Investment, he said, is a key driver."You know what they all want, too, when you go there? Foreign direct investment. There's a lot of foreign direct investment going there, but it won't go there if things like this are taking place," he said. "So I think they realize they need permanent peace." Every time Alice publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox! Stay connected to Alice and get more of their work as it publishes. Sign up By clicking "Sign up", you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Major cities in the UAE, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, have emerged as financial hubs in recent years, attracting investors. "They can't have neighbors lobbing ballistic missiles into their data centers, thinking that people would put $10 billion in a data center," he added.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he'd had "productive conversations" with Iran about ending the war, sending stocks soaring, but Iranian state media denied that the talks had taken place. Some market pros have said there might not be an easy off-ramp for the conflict.Data centers, a growing focus of global investment, have also become targets in the war, now well into its third week. Amazon said that drone strikes had damaged three of its data centers in the region earlier this month. "Data centers have become the new infrastructure for economies," James Lewis, senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider in early March. "If you think about how people are going to build infrastructure, before it was railroads and steam engines. Now it's data centers and fiber optics."