Can Strategic Research Define Dubai Industrial Growth?

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 "important to develop limits" 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 delighted, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not stress" is the crucial to discovering an option for issues.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in 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 investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, consisting of the growth and ongoing development 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 efficiency, resistant domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to surpass most global regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Comparing Traditional Models and 2026 Economic Frameworks

Although oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it mentioned. Saudi Arabia will stay a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership guidelines that intend to stimulate additional financial investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil prices, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain key growth motorists, supported by population growth and sustained domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to select up again in the second half of 2026, complementing continuous investment in facilities, innovation and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually come in building diverse, resilient and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring rate, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Emerging Strategic Trends Shaping the 2026 Regional Economy

GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'strength over growth' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for a global landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation ambition to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations totally free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last drafting stages. The area is increasingly positioning itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting vital minerals has become a tactical top priority.