How to Maintain a Leading 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 Creator of Snoonu stated it was "essential to construct borders" in between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with happy, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the essential to finding a service for issues.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences 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 bringing together investors, business, 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 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 performance, durable domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most global regions peers next year, with regional GDP forecast 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, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Operational Excellence: a Key Driver for Regional Growth

Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it mentioned. Saudi Arabia will remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to promote more financial investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain key growth chauffeurs, supported by population growth and sustained 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 get once again in the second half of 2026, matching continuous financial investment in facilities, technology and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in building diverse, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring speed, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and continual diversification efforts.

How to Maintain a Competitive Advantage in 2026

GCC countries are pivoting towards a technique of 'resilience over expansion' going into 2026, as the area prepares for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually 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 production, protecting critical minerals has actually become a strategic top priority.