How to Maintain a Leading Advantage in Dubai

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 stated it was "essential to construct borders" between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "detach" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with delighted, you will make the client 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 solution for problems.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what comes next, consisting of the growth and ongoing 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 area's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic demand 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 outperform most global areas peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and increasing financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Key Steps for Operational Excellence in Dubai

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

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership guidelines that intend to stimulate additional investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain crucial development motorists, supported by population growth and continual domestic need. 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 get again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing investment in facilities, innovation and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually been available in structure diverse, durable and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial 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 pace, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Driving Regional Corporate Expansion through Innovation

GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'strength over growth' entering 2026, as the area gets ready for a worldwide landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to operational application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered last preparing stages. The region is progressively positioning itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting crucial minerals has ended up being a strategic priority.