Driving Regional Industrial Expansion through Strategy

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 stated it was "important to develop limits" between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with pleased, you will make the consumer pleased, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering an option for problems.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth 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 region, and what comes next, including the growth and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in worldwide networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resistant domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the current 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 predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Driving Dubai Industrial Expansion through Innovation

Oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to increase again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate further financial investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to relieve 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 increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain essential growth chauffeurs, supported by population growth and sustained domestic need. 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 expected to choose up again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in facilities, innovation and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually can be found in building diverse, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring pace, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and continual diversity efforts.

Will Market Analytics Define Middle East Corporate Success?

GCC nations are pivoting towards a method of 'resilience over growth' going into 2026, as the area gets ready for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered final drafting 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 become a strategic concern.