Industrial Excellence: a Strategic Pillar for 2026 Success

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 Founder of Snoonu said it was "essential to build boundaries" in between work and individual life and take short vacations to "disconnect" from the office.

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

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value 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 altering in the region, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous advancement 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 growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most global regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Maintain a Leading Advantage in 2026

Oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to promote more financial investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil prices, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and financial services remain crucial growth drivers, supported by population development and continual domestic demand. 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 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in structure varied, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

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

How to Optimise GCC Strategy in 2026

GCC countries are rotating towards a strategy of 'strength over growth' going into 2026, as the region gets ready for a global landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting industrial supply chains, and carrying out a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations totally free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in final drafting phases. The region is progressively placing itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting critical minerals has become a tactical concern.