Methods for Optimising GCC Strategy in 2026

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

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

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings 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 uniting investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, including the expansion and ongoing development 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 growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resistant domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to exceed most worldwide areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

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Oil earnings will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate further financial investment. The financial deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

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

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Oil production is expected to choose up once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing 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, resilient and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is getting 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 spending and continual diversity efforts.

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GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'durability over growth' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a global landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast 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 worldwide trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology ambition to functional execution.

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Settlements totally free Trade Arrangements 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 main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing critical minerals has actually become a tactical concern.