Can Market Analytics Define Dubai Industrial Success?

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 Creator of Snoonu stated it was "essential to develop limits" in between work and individual life and take short vacations to "detach" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with happy, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not worry" is the essential to discovering a service for problems.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in between financiers 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 changing in the region, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous development 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 growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to surpass most international regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout 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 facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Operational Excellence: a Strategic Driver for Regional Success

Oil earnings 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 region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to promote further financial investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil rates, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services stay key growth drivers, 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, complementing ongoing investment in facilities, innovation and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually come in structure diverse, resistant and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining pace, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Predicting the Next GCC Corporate Environment

GCC countries are pivoting towards a strategy of 'resilience over expansion' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a worldwide landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation 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 actually entered last drafting stages. The region is increasingly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has become a tactical concern.