Predicting the 2026 GCC Business Environment

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what recommendations they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Creator of Snoonu stated it was "crucial to build limits" in between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with happy, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not stress" is the key to discovering a service for problems.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in 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 combining financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, consisting of the expansion and continuous 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 economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most international areas peers next year, with regional 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 investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Secure a Competitive Advantage in Dubai

Although oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain 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 rules that aim to stimulate more financial investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and financial services remain crucial growth drivers, supported by population development and sustained domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to pick up again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching continuous investment in facilities, innovation and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually can be found in building varied, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining rate, supported by robust demand and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Driving Regional Industrial Growth through Strategy

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'resilience over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade integration, securing commercial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to operational execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last drafting stages. The region is progressively placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting vital minerals has ended up being a tactical priority.