Driving Regional Corporate Expansion through Innovation

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 Founder of Snoonu said it was "important to build borders" in between work and individual life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the customer delighted, who will then make the shareholders pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not worry" is the essential to discovering a service for problems.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings 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 uniting investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what follows, including the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in international 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, durable domestic need 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 international regions peers next year, with local GDP projection 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 increasing financial investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Optimise GCC Strategy in 2026

Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to increase 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, including alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate more investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing 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. Tourist, trade and financial services remain crucial growth drivers, supported by population development and sustained domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very 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 second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually come in structure varied, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economist and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring speed, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

Emerging Future Trends Defining the 2026 Regional Economy

GCC nations are rotating towards a method of 'resilience over growth' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for a worldwide landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, protecting industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from innovation ambition to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

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