How to Maintain a Leading Edge in 2026

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what guidance they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Creator of Snoonu stated it was "essential to construct limits" in between work and personal life and take short vacations to "detach" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the client happy, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not stress" is the essential to finding a service for problems.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings 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, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what comes next, consisting of the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resistant domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to exceed most global regions peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected 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+

Industrial Excellence: a Key Driver for 2026 Success

Oil incomes 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 mentioned. Saudi Arabia will remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate more investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil rates, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing 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 broaden. Tourist, trade and monetary services remain essential development drivers, supported by population development 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 expected to select up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has been available in building diverse, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert 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 getting rate, supported by robust need and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

Predicting the 2026 GCC Corporate Environment

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'strength over expansion' getting in 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into last drafting phases. The region is significantly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing crucial minerals has become a tactical concern.