Reviewing 2026 Market Research for Future Insights

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 said it was "important to build borders" in between work and personal life and take short holidays to "detach" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the consumer pleased, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not stress" is the key to discovering an option for issues.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what follows, consisting of the expansion 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 area's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resilient domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the most current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most worldwide areas 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, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Emerging Strategic Trends Defining the 2026 GCC Market

Oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area'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.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of eased foreign ownership guidelines that intend to stimulate additional financial investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and financial services remain crucial growth motorists, supported by population growth 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 anticipated to select up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in facilities, innovation and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in building varied, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring pace, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Comparing Legacy Systems and 2026 Business Strategies

GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'resilience over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, protecting industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered final drafting phases. The region is progressively positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting important minerals has become a strategic priority.