Emerging Strategic Trends Shaping the 2026 Regional Market

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 "crucial to build limits" in between work and personal life and take short holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the customer pleased, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not panic" is the essential to finding an option for issues.

This week, we're convening 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 comes next, including the growth and ongoing 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 expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resilient domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most worldwide areas peers next year, with local GDP projection 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 financial investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Predicting the 2026 Middle East Corporate Environment

Oil earnings will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise once again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership rules that intend to stimulate further financial investment. The financial deficit is predicted 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 ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and monetary 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, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to get again in the second half of 2026, matching ongoing investment in infrastructure, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually come in structure diverse, resistant and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring speed, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and continual diversification efforts.

Methods for Scaling Regional Operations in 2026

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'resilience over expansion' going into 2026, as the region prepares for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition 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 worldwide trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations free of charge Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered final preparing phases. The region is increasingly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing critical minerals has actually ended up being a tactical concern.