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Business news and financial news, analysis, opinion and statistics covering the 6 Gulf Corporation Council members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Financial growth throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to accelerate in 2026, with the region predicted to exceed its 2025 performance in spite of soft oil earnings and ongoing worldwide uncertainties. According to a new Oxford Economics research instruction, GCC GDP development is anticipated to rise to 4.4 per cent in 2026, up from 4 per cent in 2025, reflecting a resilient nonenergy sector, strong customer characteristics, and slowly improving oil output.

However the current projections recommend that Gulf economies are now wellpositioned to restore momentum, buoyed by reinforcing domestic need and a broadly constant global backdrop. The report highlights GCC consumers as a major chauffeur of the region's financial performance heading into next year. Low inflation, robust labour markets, and growing genuine non reusable incomes are expected to fuel a rise in consumer spending throughout the Gulf.

Credit development is likewise forecast to remain elevated as access to financial services widens. With GCC main banks expected to follow awaited United States Federal Reserve rate cuts due to the area's dollar pegs, borrowing costs are likely to decline, giving homes and organizations further motivation to invest and invest. While the nonoil sector continues to anchor the area's durability, the GCC's hydrocarbon outlook presents a mixed photo.

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This could weigh on firsthalf development, especially for economies more depending on oil extraction. However, Oxford Economics projects a rebound later in 2026, with Opec+ members expected to resume raising production as inventories tighten and global need improves. Qatar, meanwhile, sticks out as a regional outperformer, with significant expansions in gas production and exports expected to lift its total financial efficiency.

Saudi Arabia's 2026 spending plan expects a 6 percent cut in capital expense as the kingdom aims to narrow its financial deficit by 2 percentage points. The report notes that these cuts may not materialise fully if countercyclical costs steps are activated to support growth. By contrast, more diversified economies such as the UAE and Qatar are anticipated to continue advancing their development agendas.

Regardless of shortterm risks connected to oil prices and international need, the GCC's 2026 economic outlook is specified by strength in basics: durable consumers, robust nonenergy sectors, improving oil dynamics, and strategic fiscal preparation. With these elements lining up, the area is preparing for among its most well balanced durations of expansion in current years anchored by a clear upward trajectory in GDP development.

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RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council local economies are anticipated to stay resilient in 2026, driven by strong domestic need and a broadly steady worldwide economy, according to an analysis. In its most current report, Oxford Economics highlighted that the genuine gdp of the GCC area is anticipated to broaden by 4.4 percent in 2026, up from the forecasted 4 percent this year.

United States trade policy under President Donald Trump has actually had no significant influence on regional growth, and non-energy sectors have actually sustained their robust momentum," stated Oxford Economics. It added: "On the other hand, oil production has actually slowly increased, supplying a boost to the area's economies. We anticipate GCC growth will rise to 4.4 percent in 2026, from 4 percent this year."In November, the GCC Statistical Center stated that financial growth in the region is set to accelerate to 4.3 percent by 2027, driven by broadening non-oil sectors.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Non-oil activities accounted for 73.2 percent of overall GDP, up from 70.6 percent at the end of 2024, highlighting the region's ongoing progress toward diversification. According to Oxford Economics, GCC consumers will be standout performers in 2026 and are expected to outperform their worldwide peers.

In December, the IMF further stated that headline inflation is expected to remain below 2 percent in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, close to 2 percent in the Kingdom and the UAE, and a little above 2 percent in Kuwait in 20252026. According to Oxford Economics, credit development is expected to stay elevated in the GCC region during 2026, as access to monetary services is expected to grow and financing is predicted to be supported by further cuts in rates of interest."Owing to their currency pegs to the United States dollar, GCC central banks are expected to follow the US Federal Reserve by relieving financial policy further, which in turn will reduce financial obligation maintenance expenses and enhance non reusable income and demand," stated the report.