Evaluating Traditional Systems and Future Business Strategies

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 "important to build borders" in between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

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

This week, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous development 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 area's economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resistant domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outshine most global areas peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and increasing financial investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Industrial Excellence: a Strategic Pillar for 2026 Success

Oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote further financial investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil prices, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and monetary services remain essential development motorists, supported by population growth and sustained 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 expected to get once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in facilities, innovation and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has come in building varied, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

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

Predicting the Next GCC Corporate Environment

GCC nations are pivoting towards a method of 'resilience over expansion' getting in 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 transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered final preparing phases. The region is increasingly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting vital minerals has become a strategic priority.