Reviewing New Market 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 Founder of Snoonu said it was "crucial to construct limits" in between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the workplace.

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

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role 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 efficiency, resilient domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outshine most international areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Operational Excellence: a Key Driver for 2026 Success

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

Growth will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership rules that intend to promote additional financial investment. The financial deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and financial services stay crucial growth motorists, supported by population development and sustained domestic demand. 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 get again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching continuous financial investment in infrastructure, technology 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 varied, resilient and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting pace, supported by robust demand and increasing financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Navigating the Next Middle East Corporate Environment

GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'durability over expansion' getting in 2026, as the region gets ready for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition 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 global trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting stages. The region is significantly placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting important minerals has ended up being a tactical top priority.