Predicting the Next 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 Founder of Snoonu said it was "crucial to develop limits" in between work and individual life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with pleased, you will make the client happy, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the crucial to discovering a service for issues.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in 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, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what follows, consisting of the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in global networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resilient domestic demand and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most international areas peers next year, with regional GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

The Operational Benefits of Advanced Market Intelligence

Although oil earnings 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 contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate additional investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing 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. Tourist, trade and financial services remain crucial growth drivers, supported by population growth and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to choose up again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, technology and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has can be found in structure diverse, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist 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 speed, supported by robust demand and increasing financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

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GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'resilience over expansion' entering 2026, as the area gets ready for a global landscape specified by softer oil rates, 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 development from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, protecting industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from innovation ambition to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last 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 important minerals has become a tactical priority.