Reviewing 2026 Market Data for Future Growth

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

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

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in between investors 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 financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what comes next, consisting of the growth and ongoing advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in worldwide 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 performance, resilient 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 worldwide regions peers next year, with local GDP projection 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 increasing investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Key Steps for Operational Excellence in Dubai

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

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including alleviated foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate more investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain crucial development drivers, 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 anticipated to choose up again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in structure diverse, resilient and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economic Expert 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 gaining pace, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

How to Scale GCC Strategy in 2026

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'durability over expansion' getting in 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift 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 worldwide trade combination, protecting industrial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to operational application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in last drafting stages. The region is increasingly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing critical minerals has ended up being a strategic top priority.