Optimising Operational ROI through Strategic Business Research

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 build borders" in between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with happy, you will make the consumer pleased, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering an option for issues.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings 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 combining financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what comes next, including the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in international 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, resistant domestic need 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 outshine most worldwide regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Secure a Competitive Edge in 2026

Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the very 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 remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate additional investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to widen 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 reduce inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and financial services stay essential growth drivers, supported by population growth and continual domestic demand. 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 once again in the second half of 2026, matching continuous 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 actually come in building diverse, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining speed, supported by robust demand and rising financial 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 diversification efforts.

Evaluating Traditional Models and Future Economic Strategies

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'strength over expansion' going into 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil costs, 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 development from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, securing commercial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from innovation ambition to operational 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 gotten in last preparing phases. The area is increasingly placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting critical minerals has actually become a tactical top priority.