How to Optimise GCC Strategy in 2026

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 Creator of Snoonu said it was "essential to construct limits" between work and personal life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with happy, you will make the client pleased, who will then make the shareholders pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not panic" is the essential to finding a service for issues.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings 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 combining financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing function in worldwide 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, resilient 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 expected to surpass most global areas peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to expand 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+

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Oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate further financial investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and monetary services remain key development motorists, supported by population growth 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 anticipated to select up again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous investment in facilities, innovation and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in structure varied, resistant and globally competitive economies.

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

How to Optimise Regional Operations in 2026

GCC countries are pivoting towards a method of 'strength over growth' entering 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, protecting industrial supply chains, and carrying out a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered final drafting phases. The region is increasingly placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting critical minerals has actually become a tactical concern.