Reviewing New GCC Data for Future 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 construct boundaries" between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the workplace.

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

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences between investors and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're uniting financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what follows, consisting of the growth and ongoing advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role in worldwide networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to exceed most worldwide areas peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Methods for Scaling Regional Operations in 2026

Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will remain a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of eased foreign ownership guidelines that intend to stimulate additional financial investment. The financial deficit is projected to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil rates, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain key growth chauffeurs, supported by population growth and continual domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to select up again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, innovation and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually can be found in building diverse, resistant and globally competitive economies.

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

How to Secure a Competitive Advantage in 2026

GCC countries are rotating towards a strategy of 'resilience over growth' entering 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, securing commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last preparing stages. The area is increasingly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing vital minerals has ended up being a strategic top priority.