Optimising Operational Efficiency through Strategic Market Planning

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what suggestions they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu said it was "crucial to construct boundaries" between work and individual life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with pleased, you will make the customer happy, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not worry" is the essential to discovering a solution for issues.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in between investors 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 financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what follows, including the expansion and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, durable domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most global regions peers next year, with regional GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Scale GCC Strategy in 2026

Oil earnings will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, including eased foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate more investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil costs, 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 positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain crucial development chauffeurs, supported by population development and continual domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to choose up once again in the second half of 2026, matching ongoing investment in facilities, innovation and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has come in structure diverse, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing 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 need and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and continual diversity efforts.

Optimising Corporate Efficiency through Advanced Business Planning

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'durability over growth' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for a worldwide landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting industrial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology ambition to operational execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into final preparing phases. The area is increasingly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing important minerals has ended up being a strategic priority.