Key Steps for Operational Excellence in the GCC

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

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with delighted, you will make the customer happy, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not panic" is the key to finding a service for problems.

This week, 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 combining investors, 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 global networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resistant domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most worldwide regions peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Driving Regional Corporate Growth through Strategy

Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the 2nd 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 commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of eased foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate more investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil costs, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might 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. Tourist, trade and financial services stay essential development chauffeurs, supported by population growth and continual 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 choose up again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, technology and global trade collaborations. 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, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring pace, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government costs and sustained diversity efforts.

Analysing 2026 GCC Data for Future Insights

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'durability over expansion' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in last drafting phases. The region is significantly positioning itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing vital minerals has become a tactical concern.