Analysing 2026 GCC Data for Future Insights

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what recommendations they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu stated it was "important to build limits" in between work and individual life and take short holidays to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with pleased, you will make the customer happy, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not worry" is the essential to discovering a solution for issues.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings 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 investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, consisting of the expansion and ongoing 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 efficiency, durable domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the newest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most worldwide regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Secure a Leading Edge in Dubai

Oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate further financial investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services remain key development drivers, supported by population growth and continual domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

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Oil production is expected to pick up again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in facilities, innovation and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has come in structure diverse, durable and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring speed, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

How to Secure a Competitive Edge in 2026

GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'strength over growth' going into 2026, as the region gets ready for a worldwide landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation ambition to operational implementation.

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Negotiations for Free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final preparing stages. The region is significantly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting important minerals has become a strategic top priority.