Optimising Operational ROI through Strategic Business Planning

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 "crucial to construct limits" in between work and individual life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with delighted, you will make the client pleased, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the key to discovering an option 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 investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what follows, including the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in worldwide 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 performance, resistant domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outshine most worldwide areas peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Maintain a Leading Advantage in 2026

Although oil revenues will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, including eased foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote more investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services stay crucial development 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 expected to select up again in the second half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in facilities, innovation and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually come in structure varied, resilient 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 rate, supported by robust need and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

Methods for Optimising Regional Operations in 2026

GCC nations are pivoting towards a method of 'strength over growth' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from innovation ambition 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 actually gone into last drafting phases. The region is progressively placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting critical minerals has become a strategic concern.