Will Strategic Research Define Middle East Corporate Success?

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 said it was "crucial to develop limits" in between work and individual life and take brief vacations to "detach" from the office.

Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO and Board Member of Astra tech, responded that "the best advice is to continuously challenge yourself" while likewise making sure a healthy sleep and exercise routine. Mohamed Khadiri, CEO of Bank of Sharjah explained that to excel and "to be near to your consumer, you have to be enthusiastic about your work and understand consumers' requirements". Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make individuals you work with pleased, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the shareholders pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the essential to finding a solution for issues.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in between investors and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're combining financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, including the expansion and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in worldwide 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, resilient domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most international regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast 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, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Emerging Strategic Shifts Shaping the 2026 GCC Economy

Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it mentioned. Saudi Arabia will stay 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 reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate more investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to broaden 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 alleviate inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services stay essential development drivers, supported by population development and sustained domestic demand. 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 anticipated to pick up again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous investment in infrastructure, innovation and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually come in structure varied, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economic Expert 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 rate, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Driving Regional Industrial Expansion through Strategy

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'strength over growth' entering 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation ambition to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in final preparing stages. The area is significantly positioning itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has actually ended up being a strategic concern.