Evaluating Traditional Systems and 2026 Business Strategies

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 stated it was "essential to construct borders" in between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the office.

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 investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering an option for issues.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in between financiers 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 changing in the region, and what comes next, consisting of the growth and ongoing development 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 performance, resilient domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most international regions 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, improving credit conditions and increasing investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Secure a Competitive Advantage in Dubai

Oil incomes 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 area's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote further financial investment. The financial deficit is projected to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and monetary services remain key growth chauffeurs, supported by population growth and sustained 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 pick up again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in facilities, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in structure varied, durable and globally competitive economies.

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

Comparing Traditional Systems and Future Economic Frameworks

GCC countries are pivoting towards a strategy of 'strength over expansion' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a worldwide landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, protecting industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into final drafting stages. The region is increasingly placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has ended up being a tactical concern.