Will Strategic Analytics Define Middle East Corporate 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 stated it was "essential to develop boundaries" between work and personal life and take short vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

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

Today, we're assembling 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 uniting investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, including the growth and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in global networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resilient domestic demand 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 global regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Operational Excellence: a Key Driver for 2026 Growth

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

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including eased foreign ownership rules that aim to promote additional financial investment. The financial deficit is predicted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services remain essential development drivers, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. 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 expected to choose up again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in building diverse, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is getting speed, supported by robust demand and increasing financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Can Market Research Define Dubai Industrial Success?

GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'strength over expansion' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from technology ambition to operational 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 final drafting stages. The area is progressively 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 actually ended up being a tactical concern.