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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 build limits" between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the office.
Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with delighted, you will make the customer happy, who will then make the investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not stress" is the crucial to discovering a solution for problems.
Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings 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 uniting investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what follows, including the expansion and ongoing advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in global networks of capital and trade.
Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most international areas peers next year, with regional 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 increasing financial investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.
Although 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 mentioned. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.
Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate more investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil rates, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.
Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain key growth motorists, supported by population growth and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.
How Does Business Excellence Vital for Future Expansion?Oil production is anticipated to choose up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually been available in building varied, resilient and globally competitive economies.
Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting rate, supported by robust demand and increasing investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversity efforts.
GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'resilience over growth' entering 2026, as the area prepares for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional execution.
Industrial Excellence: a Strategic Pillar for 2026 SuccessNegotiations free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting stages. The region is progressively placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting important minerals has become a strategic top priority.
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