Industrial Excellence: a Key Driver for Regional Success

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what recommendations they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu stated it was "essential to construct boundaries" 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 happy, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not stress" is the key to discovering a service for issues.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in 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 combining investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, consisting of the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to exceed most global regions 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 technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Evaluating Legacy Models and Future Economic Frameworks

Although oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to increase again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. 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, consisting of eased foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate additional financial investment. The fiscal 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 reduce inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services stay essential development drivers, supported by population development and continual domestic need. 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 once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in facilities, innovation and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually been available in structure varied, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is getting pace, supported by robust demand and increasing investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in government costs and sustained diversity efforts.

Reviewing New Market Data for Future Insights

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'resilience over growth' going into 2026, as the region prepares for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting phases. The area is progressively placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing critical minerals has actually ended up being a strategic top priority.