Accelerating Regional Corporate Growth through Innovation

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what recommendations they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu said it was "important to construct limits" in between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with pleased, you will make the client pleased, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not worry" is the crucial to finding a service for issues.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings 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 investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what follows, consisting of the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in worldwide 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 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 regions peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Evaluating Traditional Systems and Future Economic Strategies

Oil incomes will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area'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.

Development will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership rules that aim to promote further financial investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it might 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 stay essential development chauffeurs, supported by population development 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 get once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, innovation and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually come in building varied, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining rate, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Essential Tips for Operational Excellence in the GCC

GCC nations are rotating towards a method of 'resilience over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, securing commercial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations totally free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into last preparing stages. The region is progressively positioning itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing critical minerals has become a tactical priority.