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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 Founder of Snoonu stated it was "important to develop borders" between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the office.
Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with delighted, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the shareholders pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not panic" is the crucial to discovering an option for problems.
This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences between investors and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined worth 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 changing in the area, and what comes next, consisting of the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in global 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 financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most international regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.
Oil incomes will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.
Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to promote further 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 rent freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.
Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services stay essential development motorists, supported by population growth and continual domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.
The Entrepreneur's Guide to Emerging Saudi Company ClustersOil production is expected to choose up again in the second half of 2026, matching continuous investment in infrastructure, innovation and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has been available in building diverse, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.
Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economist and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting pace, supported by robust demand and increasing investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversity efforts.
GCC countries are pivoting towards a strategy of 'resilience over expansion' going into 2026, as the region prepares for an international landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, protecting industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to operational execution.
The Entrepreneur's Guide to Emerging Saudi Company ClustersSettlements free of charge Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last drafting phases. The region is significantly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting vital minerals has actually ended up being a strategic concern.
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