Emerging Strategic Shifts Defining the 2026 Regional Market

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what advice they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Creator of Snoonu said it was "important to construct limits" between work and individual life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with delighted, you will make the customer happy, who will then make the investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not stress" is the crucial to finding a solution for problems.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 conferences 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 uniting investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what comes next, including the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing function in worldwide networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resistant domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most international areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Across 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 facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Key Tips for Industrial Excellence in Dubai

Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to promote additional investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future real estate 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. Tourist, trade and monetary services stay key development 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 continuous financial investment in facilities, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in building diverse, durable and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic 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 speed, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government costs and continual diversity efforts.

Methods for Optimising GCC Strategy in 2026

GCC countries are rotating towards a strategy of 'durability over growth' going into 2026, as the region gets ready for a worldwide landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and carrying out a decisive shift from technology aspiration to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered final preparing phases. The region is increasingly placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting vital minerals has become a strategic priority.