Companies repurchased $572 billion of shares in the second quarter, while global dividends reached $757.8 billion, according to Janus Henderson
Companies around the world returned more cash to shareholders in the second quarter of 2026, with share buybacks seeing particularly strong growth.
Global buybacks rose 26.8% year-on-year to $572 billion in Q2, according to the latest Janus Henderson Global Dividend and Buyback Index. Technology companies were the biggest contributors, overtaking financials after repurchasing $121.1 billion of their own shares.
The increase comes as large technology companies continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure, including data centres and computing capacity, while also returning capital to shareholders.
Technology companies also recorded the fastest underlying dividend growth among industries, with payouts rising 23.5% to $70.5 billion during the quarter.
Dividends continue to grow
Global dividends reached $757.8 billion in Q2, representing underlying growth of 7.3%. The headline increase was 3.2%, with the difference partly reflecting the timing of payments.
Financial companies remained the largest source of dividends, distributing $239.7 billion, up 8.1% on an underlying basis.
The UK recorded particularly strong growth, with dividends reaching $39.5 billion, up 14.6%. Banks were a major contributor to the increase.
Middle East payouts rise
Companies in the Middle East distributed an estimated $44.6 billion in dividends during the quarter, according to Janus Henderson’s figures, with underlying growth of 5.5%.
Saudi Arabia accounted for the largest share of regional payouts at $28.4 billion, or 63.6% of the total. UAE companies distributed $13.6 billion, representing 30.4% of the regional total, with underlying growth of 7.3%.
Kuwait recorded the fastest growth in the region, with payouts rising 45% on an underlying basis to $1.8 billion.
Janus Henderson expects global dividend growth of 5% to 6% in 2026, while global buybacks are forecast to grow by around 7% to 8%.
The latest figures also highlight a difference between the two forms of shareholder returns. Dividends are generally treated as a longer-term commitment, while buybacks give companies more flexibility to adjust how much capital they return as investment needs change.
For technology companies in particular, that balance is becoming more relevant as spending on AI infrastructure continues to increase.
