Methods for Optimising GCC Strategy 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 said it was "essential to build limits" in between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the customer delighted, who will then make the shareholders happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not stress" is the essential to finding an option for problems.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences 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 financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous 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 area's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resilient 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 expected to outperform most global 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, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

The Operational Advantages of Advanced Strategy Research

Oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to increase again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate further financial investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and monetary services stay essential growth drivers, supported by population growth and sustained domestic demand. 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 get again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually come in building varied, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

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

Evaluating Traditional Systems and 2026 Business Frameworks

GCC nations are pivoting towards a method of 'resilience over growth' entering 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, protecting industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into final drafting phases. The region is progressively positioning itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting critical minerals has actually ended up being a strategic concern.