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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 Creator of Snoonu said it was "crucial to develop limits" 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 happy, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not worry" is the key to discovering a service for issues.
Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined worth 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 altering in the region, and what follows, consisting of the expansion and continuous 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 region's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resilient domestic demand and restored financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most global areas peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.
Oil profits 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 specified. Saudi Arabia will stay 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, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership rules that intend to stimulate additional financial investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil prices, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future real estate supply.
Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services stay crucial development 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.
Ways to Utilize GCC Intelligence for 2026 SuccessOil production is expected to select up again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching continuous financial investment in facilities, innovation and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has come in structure varied, durable and internationally 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 structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining rate, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversity efforts.
GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'strength over expansion' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to functional application.
Leading Organizational Change for Modern EconomySettlements for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting stages. The area is significantly positioning itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has become a tactical top priority.
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