Can Market Analytics Define Middle East Industrial Growth?

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what suggestions they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Creator of Snoonu stated it was "important to develop boundaries" in between work and personal life and take short vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the customer delighted, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not worry" is the essential to discovering an option for issues.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're combining investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, including the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing function in global networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, durable domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most international regions peers next year, with regional GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Maximising Operational ROI through Advanced Business Planning

Although oil revenues will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate additional financial investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and monetary services remain key growth chauffeurs, supported by population growth and continual domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to pick up again in the second half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in building diverse, resilient and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining pace, supported by robust demand and increasing investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

Evaluating Legacy Systems and Future Economic Frameworks

GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'resilience over growth' entering 2026, as the region prepares for a global landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to operational application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in final drafting phases. The area is progressively positioning itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing crucial minerals has actually become a strategic top priority.