The brand that matters in health & wellness in 2026

Fast Company Middle East unveils the Brands That Matter 2026 list, celebrating 32 winners across 19 categories. These brands are making a real difference, combining purpose with performance to create lasting impact. From advertising and banking & finance to retail and technology, they’re reshaping industries and championing values that matter most today

Wellness is no longer a luxury category. It has become a mainstream expectation, woven into how people eat, move, work, and age. The sector now spans everything from mental health platforms and precision medicine to corporate well-being programs and longevity clinics. What unites them is a population that is paying closer attention to how it lives, not just how long.

Aster DM Healthcare

For making quality healthcare accessible, not just available

Aster DM Healthcare has built one of the region’s most trusted healthcare ecosystems. Operating 15 hospitals, 128 clinics, and 345 pharmacies across the GCC, Jordan, and India, Aster serves more than 20 million patients annually while advancing accessible, patient-centered healthcare.

Over the past year, the company expanded in Saudi Arabia, including the launch of myAster in the kingdom. Developed in partnership with Google Cloud, the platform became one of the region’s first healthcare applications to integrate Generative AI and Arabic voice recognition, enabling patients to access care through a localized digital experience. 

Innovation remains central to Aster’s growth strategy. The myAster platform has transformed healthcare access through teleconsultations, pharmacy delivery, digital records, and AI-powered patient journeys. At the same time, Aster continues to pioneer advanced treatments, robotics, and patient-reported outcome measures, helping shift healthcare toward a more preventive and outcomes-focused model.

Daman

For advancing health insurance through measurable impact

Daman surpassed 3.2 million members in 2025, ranking as the UAE’s most valuable insurer with a brand value of $283 million. The company designed and implemented the region’s first Value-Based Care reimbursement model, linking provider payment to measurable clinical outcomes rather than volume, and expanded it through pilot Disease Management Programs across its network. AI-powered tools now cover fraud detection, drug adjudication, and claims processing, while 90% of outpatient pre-authorizations are completed within six hours. Customer satisfaction rose from 90 to 95, NPS from 68 to 77, and complaints declined 22% year-on-year. Through its Steppi digital well-being campaign, over 3,000 participants logged more than 250 million steps in 19 days. 

M42 

For making healthcare more precise and preventive

M42 is transforming healthcare by integrating artificial intelligence, genomics, digital health, and advanced clinical care. Its goal is to make healthcare more accurate, predictive, preventive, and available to more people. In 2025, this Abu Dhabi-based company expanded its global presence by entering Saudi Arabia, partnering with Bahrain Royal Medical Services, and forming over 45 new healthcare and innovation partnerships. M42 is leading the way in precision medicine through the Emirati Genome Program, which has sequenced over 850,000 genomes and now includes newborns. Through Malaffi, Abu Dhabi’s health information exchange, M42 has linked more than 3.9 billion clinical records, making it one of the most connected healthcare systems in the world. Innovation is at the heart of M42’s progress. 

In 2025, it started a UAE-wide liquid biopsy project with AstraZeneca and Sophia Genetics, improved AI-powered diagnostics, and grew its longevity-focused healthcare through new investments and partnerships. M42 also works to create positive social change through health awareness, community outreach, and healthcare access programs in 27 countries, serving over 15 million patients each year.