Methods for Optimising Regional Strategy in 2026

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 "important to construct borders" between work and personal life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.

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

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what comes next, consisting of the expansion and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in global networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, durable domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most international areas peers next year, with local GDP projection 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 increasing financial investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Scale Regional Operations in 2026

Oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region'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 commercial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to promote additional investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil rates, while the recent five-year rent 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 efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and financial services remain essential growth motorists, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to select up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in infrastructure, technology and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has come in building varied, resistant and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial 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 getting rate, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

The Operational Benefits of Advanced Market Research

GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'strength over growth' going into 2026, as the region gets ready for a global landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and carrying out a decisive shift from innovation ambition to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in last drafting phases. The area is significantly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting important minerals has actually become a tactical concern.