Maximising Operational ROI through Advanced Market Planning

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 Founder of Snoonu stated it was "essential to develop borders" in between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

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

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

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's economic growth 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 expected to outperform most global regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast 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 financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Key Tips for Industrial Excellence in the GCC

Although oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, including eased foreign ownership rules that intend to promote further investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services stay crucial growth drivers, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to get again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has been available in building diverse, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Handling 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 need and rising investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and continual diversity efforts.

Will Market Research Drive Dubai Corporate Success?

GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'resilience over growth' getting in 2026, as the area gets ready for a global landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid 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 global trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from innovation ambition to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in final preparing stages. The region is significantly placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting important minerals has ended up being a strategic priority.