Comparing Traditional Models and Future Economic Strategies

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what guidance they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Creator of Snoonu stated it was "important to develop boundaries" between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the consumer happy, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the essential to finding a service for problems.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 conferences between investors and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're combining financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what comes next, consisting of the growth and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing function in international 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 restored investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most global regions peers next year, with local GDP projection 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, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Operational Excellence: a Key Pillar for 2026 Success

Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to increase again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it mentioned. Saudi Arabia will remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to promote further investment. The financial deficit is predicted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to ease inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain crucial growth drivers, 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 get once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually been available in structure varied, resilient and globally 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 going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining speed, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Maximising Corporate ROI through Strategic Business Research

GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'durability over expansion' getting in 2026, as the region prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into final drafting stages. The region is increasingly placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing critical minerals has actually become a strategic priority.