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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 said it was "essential to build boundaries" between work and personal life and take short holidays to "disconnect" from the workplace.
Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO and Board Member of Astra tech, responded that "the very best recommendations is to constantly challenge yourself" while also ensuring a healthy sleep and exercise routine. Mohamed Khadiri, CEO of Bank of Sharjah mentioned that to stand out and "to be close to your client, you have to be enthusiastic about your work and understand consumers' requirements". Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you deal with pleased, you will make the client delighted, who will then make the investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the essential to finding an option for issues.
This week, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings 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 bringing together financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, including the expansion and ongoing 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 area's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resistant domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most global regions peers next year, with local 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 investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.
Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.
Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate further investment. The financial deficit is predicted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil rates, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends 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 rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain key development chauffeurs, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.
Oil production is anticipated to select up again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has can be found in structure varied, resistant 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 structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting speed, supported by robust need and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversity efforts.
GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'resilience over expansion' getting in 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening global trade combination, protecting industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to functional execution.
Middle East News: Strategic Market Trends for 2026Negotiations free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into final drafting phases. The area is significantly placing itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting important minerals has ended up being a tactical top priority.
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