How to Scale GCC Operations 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 build limits" 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 pleased, you will make the consumer pleased, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not panic" is the essential to finding a service for problems.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences 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 investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, consisting of the growth 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 region's economic growth 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 outshine most global areas peers next year, with local GDP projection 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 financial investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Maintain a Leading Advantage in 2026

Oil profits will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to rise once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor 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 guidelines that intend to promote additional financial investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to ease 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 forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services stay essential development chauffeurs, supported by population development and continual 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 get again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has can be found in building varied, resilient 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 getting in 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring pace, supported by robust demand and increasing financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and continual diversity efforts.

Reviewing 2026 GCC Research for Strategic Growth

GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'strength over expansion' getting in 2026, as the area gets ready for a global landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology ambition to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in final preparing stages. The region is progressively positioning itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting important minerals has become a strategic concern.