How to Maintain a Competitive Advantage 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 Founder of Snoonu stated it was "essential to construct boundaries" in between work and personal life and take short holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

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

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined worth 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 region, and what follows, including the growth and continuous development 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 area's economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resilient domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most worldwide areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Essential Tips for Industrial Excellence in Dubai

Oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to increase once 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 forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate more financial investment. The financial deficit is predicted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends 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 key development motorists, supported by population growth and continual domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to select up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually been available in building varied, resilient and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economic Expert and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting rate, supported by robust demand and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and continual diversity efforts.

Industrial Excellence: a Key Driver for Regional Growth

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'durability over expansion' entering 2026, as the area gets ready for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting phases. The area is increasingly positioning itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing vital minerals has ended up being a tactical priority.