Comparing Legacy Models and 2026 Business Frameworks

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 stated it was "crucial to develop limits" in between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the workplace.

Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO and Board Member of Astra tech, responded that "the very best guidance is to constantly challenge yourself" while likewise ensuring a healthy sleep and workout routine. Mohamed Khadiri, CEO of Bank of Sharjah mentioned that to stand out and "to be near your customer, you have to be passionate about your work and understand customers' requirements". Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make individuals you deal with happy, you will make the client delighted, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not stress" is the crucial to discovering an option for problems.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings in between investors 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 investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, including the growth and ongoing 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 area's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to exceed most worldwide areas peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Driving Regional Corporate Expansion through Innovation

Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to increase again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to promote additional investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain crucial growth 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 expected to get once again in the second half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in building diverse, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining speed, supported by robust need and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Reviewing New Market Research for Strategic Growth

GCC nations are pivoting towards a technique of 'durability over growth' entering 2026, as the area gets ready for a global landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in last drafting stages. The area is increasingly 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 actually ended up being a strategic top priority.