Predicting the 2026 Middle East Corporate Landscape

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 Founder of Snoonu stated it was "important to develop borders" between work and personal life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the customer pleased, who will then make the shareholders happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not worry" is the crucial to discovering a solution for problems.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings in between investors and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're combining investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, including the growth and ongoing advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resilient domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to exceed most global areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Key Tips for Industrial Excellence in Dubai

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

Development will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership rules that intend to stimulate additional investment. The financial deficit is predicted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and financial services stay key growth motorists, supported by population development and continual domestic need. 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 get once again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in facilities, innovation and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has been available in building diverse, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economist and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring pace, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Evaluating Traditional Models and 2026 Economic Strategies

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'strength over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and carrying out a decisive shift from technology aspiration to operational implementation.

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 preparing phases. The area is progressively placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing vital minerals has actually become a tactical priority.