Will Strategic Analytics Define Middle East Industrial Success?

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 said it was "essential to build boundaries" between work and individual life and take short holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the customer pleased, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not stress" is the essential to finding a solution for problems.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're uniting financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, including the growth and ongoing advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing function in global networks of capital and trade.

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

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Will Strategic Research Define Dubai Corporate Success?

Oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to rise once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it mentioned. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of eased foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote further investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and monetary services stay key growth motorists, supported by population growth and sustained 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 select up once again in the second half of 2026, matching continuous financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has come in building diverse, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining pace, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

Analysing New GCC Research for Strategic Growth

GCC nations are rotating towards a method of 'durability over expansion' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a worldwide landscape defined 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 transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology ambition to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into last drafting phases. The area is progressively placing itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing vital minerals has actually ended up being a strategic top priority.