Methods for Optimising Regional 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 Creator of Snoonu said it was "crucial to develop boundaries" in between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

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

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in between investors and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth 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 area, and what follows, including the growth and continuous advancement 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 region's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and renewed 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 regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

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Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including eased foreign ownership rules that intend to promote further investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst 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 efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services stay key growth motorists, supported by population growth and continual domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

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Oil production is expected to get once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing investment in facilities, technology and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually come in structure varied, resistant and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is getting rate, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and continual diversification efforts.

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GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'durability over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for an international landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to functional implementation.

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Settlements for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered final drafting stages. The area is significantly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting crucial minerals has actually become a strategic priority.