Maximising Corporate Efficiency through Strategic Market Research

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what recommendations they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu stated it was "crucial to build boundaries" between work and personal life and take short vacations to "detach" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering a service for issues.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what follows, consisting of the expansion 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, resistant domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to surpass most worldwide areas peers next year, with regional GDP projection 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 technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Secure a Competitive Edge in Dubai

Although oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to increase again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that intend to promote additional investment. The financial deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services stay crucial development 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 anticipated to get again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, technology and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in building varied, resistant and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining rate, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in government spending and continual diversification efforts.

Key Tips for Operational Excellence in the GCC

GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'resilience over growth' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to operational application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last preparing stages. The region is progressively placing itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has actually ended up being a strategic top priority.