Can Strategic Analytics Drive Dubai Industrial Growth?

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what recommendations they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu stated it was "important to build 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 individuals you work with delighted, you will make the customer delighted, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the key to finding a service for problems.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences 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 bringing together investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, consisting of the expansion and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role in worldwide 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 efficiency, resistant domestic need and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to exceed most worldwide areas peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Maximising Corporate ROI through Strategic Business Planning

Oil profits 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 region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote more investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to ease 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 forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and financial services stay essential development chauffeurs, supported by population growth 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 expected to pick up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing investment in facilities, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has been available in building varied, resistant and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining pace, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversity efforts.

Accelerating Regional Corporate Expansion through Strategy

GCC countries are pivoting towards a method of 'resilience over expansion' entering 2026, as the area prepares for an international landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered last preparing phases. The area is progressively positioning itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting crucial minerals has ended up being a tactical concern.