How to Optimise GCC Strategy in 2026

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 Creator of Snoonu stated it was "essential to develop borders" between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the workplace.

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

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what comes next, including the growth and ongoing advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function 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 efficiency, durable domestic demand and restored financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most international areas peers next year, with local 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 technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Driving Regional Industrial Growth through Innovation

Oil revenues 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 region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will remain 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, including relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate more investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil prices, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned 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 stay essential growth motorists, supported by population development 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 again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in facilities, innovation and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has come in building varied, resilient 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 getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining speed, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversity efforts.

Evaluating Traditional Systems and Future Business Frameworks

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'resilience over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in last drafting stages. The region is increasingly placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing critical minerals has ended up being a tactical priority.