Driving Regional Industrial Growth through Innovation

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 said it was "essential to build limits" between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the consumer pleased, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not panic" is the key to finding an option for problems.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in between investors and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value 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, including the expansion and ongoing advancement 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 area's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resistant domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most international regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Maximising Operational ROI through Strategic Market Planning

Although oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. 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, consisting of reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to promote more investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil prices, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain essential development motorists, supported by population growth and continual domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to select up again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, technology and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has come in building varied, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economist 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 speed, supported by robust demand and increasing investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Reviewing 2026 Market Research for Future Growth

GCC nations are pivoting towards a technique of 'strength over expansion' getting in 2026, as the area gets ready for a global landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology ambition to operational application.

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 entered last drafting phases. The region is increasingly positioning itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting vital minerals has actually ended up being a tactical concern.