Can Strategic Research Define Middle East Corporate Growth?

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 Founder of Snoonu said it was "essential to construct limits" in between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "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 key to finding a solution for issues.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences 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 bringing together investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what follows, including the expansion and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in international 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 performance, resilient domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to surpass most worldwide regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Optimising Corporate ROI through Advanced Business Research

Oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise once again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will remain a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate additional financial investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil prices, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to relieve inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and monetary services stay crucial growth drivers, supported by population growth and continual domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to pick up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, innovation and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in building diverse, resistant and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, 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 rate, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

How to Maintain a Competitive Advantage in 2026

GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'resilience over growth' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into final drafting stages. The area is progressively placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has actually become a tactical top priority.