Predicting the Next GCC Business Environment

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 construct boundaries" between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the office.

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

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in between investors 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, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what comes next, consisting of the expansion and continuous 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 performance, resistant domestic demand and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to exceed most worldwide areas peers next year, with regional GDP forecast 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, improving credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Reviewing 2026 GCC Data for Future Growth

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

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including eased foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate further financial investment. The financial deficit is predicted 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 aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and monetary services stay crucial growth motorists, supported by population development and continual domestic demand. 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 once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching continuous financial investment in facilities, technology and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually come in structure varied, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring pace, supported by robust need 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 continual diversification efforts.

Will Market Analytics Define Middle East Industrial Success?

GCC countries are pivoting towards a method of 'strength over growth' going into 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to operational execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into final drafting phases. The region is progressively positioning itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing important minerals has actually become a strategic concern.