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Company news and monetary news, analysis, viewpoint and stats covering the six Gulf Corporation Council members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Economic growth throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to speed up in 2026, with the region forecasted to outshine its 2025 efficiency in spite of muted oil incomes and ongoing global unpredictabilities. According to a brand-new Oxford Economics research instruction, GCC GDP growth is expected to increase to 4.4 percent in 2026, up from 4 per cent in 2025, reflecting a resistant nonenergy sector, strong customer characteristics, and slowly improving oil output.

The latest forecasts recommend that Gulf economies are now wellpositioned to gain back momentum, buoyed by strengthening domestic need and a broadly consistent international background. The report highlights GCC consumers as a major motorist of the area's financial performance heading into next year. Low inflation, robust labour markets, and growing genuine non reusable earnings are anticipated to fuel a rise in customer costs throughout the Gulf.

Credit growth is likewise forecast to remain raised as access to monetary services widens. With GCC reserve banks anticipated to follow expected United States Federal Reserve rate cuts due to the region's dollar pegs, borrowing expenses are likely to decline, providing families and services even more incentive to spend and invest. While the nonoil sector continues to anchor the region's strength, the GCC's hydrocarbon outlook presents a blended picture.

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This could weigh on firsthalf growth, particularly for economies more depending on oil extraction. Oxford Economics forecasts a rebound later in 2026, with Opec+ members anticipated to resume raising production as stocks tighten up and worldwide demand improves. Qatar, meanwhile, stands apart as a regional outperformer, with considerable growths in gas production and exports expected to lift its overall economic performance.

Saudi Arabia's 2026 budget plan anticipates a 6 percent cut in capital investment as the kingdom intends to narrow its fiscal deficit by two percentage points. However, the report notes that these cuts might not materialise totally if countercyclical costs procedures are triggered to support growth. By contrast, more varied economies such as the UAE and Qatar are expected to continue advancing their development programs.

In spite of shortterm threats tied to oil costs and global demand, the GCC's 2026 economic outlook is specified by strength in fundamentals: resilient consumers, robust nonenergy sectors, enhancing oil dynamics, and tactical financial preparation. With these elements aligning, the area is preparing for one of its most well balanced periods of growth in current years anchored by a clear upward trajectory in GDP development.

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RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council local economies are expected to remain durable in 2026, driven by strong domestic need and a broadly constant global economy, according to an analysis. In its latest report, Oxford Economics highlighted that the real gdp of the GCC area is expected to broaden by 4.4 percent in 2026, up from the projected 4 percent this year.

We expect GCC growth will increase to 4.4 percent in 2026, from 4 percent this year."In November, the GCC Statistical Center stated that financial growth in the area is set to accelerate to 4.3 percent by 2027, driven by expanding non-oil sectors.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Non-oil activities accounted for 73.2 percent of overall GDP, up from 70.6 percent at the end of 2024, highlighting the area's ongoing development toward diversification. According to Oxford Economics, GCC consumers will be standout entertainers in 2026 and are anticipated to surpass their international peers.

In December, the IMF even more said that headline inflation is expected to stay listed below 2 percent in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, near 2 percent in the Kingdom and the UAE, and slightly above 2 percent in Kuwait in 20252026. According to Oxford Economics, credit growth is anticipated to stay elevated in the GCC area during 2026, as access to financial services is expected to grow and lending is predicted to be supported by further cuts in rates of interest."Owing to their currency pegs to the United States dollar, GCC reserve banks are expected to follow the US Federal Reserve by alleviating monetary policy further, which in turn will lower debt servicing costs and boost non reusable income and need," stated the report.