Predicting the 2026 Middle East Corporate Landscape

Business news and monetary news, analysis, opinion and data covering the 6 Gulf Corporation Council members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Economic growth throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to accelerate in 2026, with the area forecasted to surpass its 2025 efficiency in spite of soft oil profits and continuous global unpredictabilities. According to a new Oxford Economics research study briefing, GCC GDP growth is expected to rise to 4.4 per cent in 2026, up from 4 percent in 2025, reflecting a resistant nonenergy sector, strong customer dynamics, and slowly enhancing oil output.

However the current forecasts recommend that Gulf economies are now wellpositioned to regain momentum, buoyed by reinforcing domestic demand and a broadly stable worldwide background. The report highlights GCC consumers as a significant motorist of the area's economic efficiency heading into next year. Low inflation, robust labour markets, and growing real non reusable incomes are anticipated to sustain a rise in customer spending throughout the Gulf.

Credit growth is also anticipated to stay raised as access to financial services expands. With GCC reserve banks expected to follow anticipated US Federal Reserve rate cuts due to the region's dollar pegs, obtaining costs are most likely to decrease, offering households and services even more incentive to invest and invest. While the nonoil sector continues to anchor the area's resilience, the GCC's hydrocarbon outlook provides a combined image.

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This could weigh on firsthalf growth, especially for economies more dependent on oil extraction. Nevertheless, Oxford Economics forecasts a rebound later on in 2026, with Opec+ members expected to resume raising production as stocks tighten up and global demand improves. Qatar, meanwhile, sticks out as a regional outperformer, with substantial growths in gas production and exports anticipated to lift its general economic performance.

Saudi Arabia's 2026 budget plan prepares for a 6 percent cut in capital investment as the kingdom aims to narrow its fiscal deficit by two portion points. However, the report keeps in mind that these cuts might not materialise totally if countercyclical spending procedures are activated to support growth. By contrast, more varied economies such as the UAE and Qatar are expected to continue advancing their development programs.

Regardless of shortterm dangers tied to oil costs and worldwide need, the GCC's 2026 economic outlook is defined by strength in fundamentals: resilient customers, robust nonenergy sectors, enhancing oil dynamics, and tactical fiscal planning. With these aspects lining up, the area is preparing for among its most balanced periods of growth recently anchored by a clear upward trajectory in GDP growth.

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RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council regional economies are expected to stay durable in 2026, driven by strong domestic need and a broadly consistent worldwide economy, according to an analysis. In its latest report, Oxford Economics highlighted that the real gdp of the GCC region is expected to broaden by 4.4 percent in 2026, up from the forecasted 4 percent this year.

We anticipate GCC development will rise to 4.4 percent in 2026, from 4 percent this year."In November, the GCC Statistical Center said that financial growth in the area is set to accelerate to 4.3 percent by 2027, driven by expanding non-oil sectors.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Non-oil activities accounted for 73.2 percent of total GDP, up from 70.6 percent at the end of 2024, highlighting the area's ongoing development toward diversification. According to Oxford Economics, GCC consumers will be standout performers in 2026 and are anticipated to exceed their worldwide peers.

In December, the IMF even more said that headline inflation is anticipated to remain listed below 2 percent in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, near 2 percent in the Kingdom and the UAE, and slightly above 2 percent in Kuwait in 20252026. According to Oxford Economics, credit development is anticipated to remain elevated in the GCC region throughout 2026, as access to monetary services is anticipated to grow and lending is predicted to be supported by more cuts in rate of interest."Owing to their currency pegs to the United States dollar, GCC reserve banks are expected to follow the United States Federal Reserve by easing financial policy even more, which in turn will decrease financial obligation servicing expenses and boost disposable earnings and demand," said the report.