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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 Founder of Snoonu stated it was "essential to develop borders" in between work and individual life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the office.
Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO and Board Member of Astra tech, responded that "the best suggestions is to constantly challenge yourself" while likewise ensuring a healthy sleep and exercise routine. Mohamed Khadiri, CEO of Bank of Sharjah explained that to excel and "to be near to your consumer, you need to be passionate about your work and understand consumers' needs". Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make individuals you deal with pleased, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering a solution for issues.
Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in between investors and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what follows, including the expansion and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in global networks of capital and trade.
Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most international regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast 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 investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.
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 specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.
Development will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of eased foreign ownership rules that intend to stimulate further investment. The financial deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil rates, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.
Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain crucial growth motorists, supported by population growth and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.
Oil production is anticipated to get once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, technology and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in building diverse, resistant and worldwide competitive economies.
Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining speed, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government spending and continual diversification efforts.
GCC countries are pivoting towards a strategy of 'resilience over growth' getting in 2026, as the region gets ready for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and carrying out a decisive shift from innovation ambition to functional execution.
Are Saudi Giga-Projects Changing Your Market Entry Reasoning?Negotiations totally 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 significantly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting critical minerals has actually become a strategic top priority.
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