Navigating the 2026 Middle East Corporate Environment

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 "crucial to develop limits" between work and individual life and take short holidays to "detach" from the workplace.

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 shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not stress" is the essential to finding a solution for problems.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're uniting 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 region's growing function in global networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resilient 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 exceed most worldwide regions peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout 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+

Predicting the Next GCC Corporate Environment

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

Development will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate additional financial investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil rates, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate 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 increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain essential growth drivers, supported by population development 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 anticipated to pick up once again in the second half of 2026, complementing continuous investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in building varied, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

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

The Strategic Advantages of Advanced Market Research

GCC countries are rotating towards a strategy of 'durability over growth' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a global landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from innovation ambition to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered last drafting stages. The area is significantly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing critical minerals has ended up being a tactical concern.