Emerging Strategic Shifts Defining the 2026 GCC Market

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what advice they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu said it was "essential to construct limits" between work and individual life and take short vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with happy, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the key to discovering an option for problems.

This week, we're convening 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 investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what follows, including the growth and continuous advancement 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 economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, resistant domestic demand and restored investment momentum, according to the newest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most international areas peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Methods for Optimising GCC Strategy in 2026

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

Development will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, including alleviated foreign ownership rules that intend to promote additional investment. The financial deficit is projected 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 also placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services stay key growth motorists, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to choose up again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has can be found in building diverse, durable and worldwide 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 gaining pace, supported by robust demand and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Can Market Research Drive Middle East Corporate Growth?

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'resilience over growth' getting in 2026, as the region prepares for an international landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to operational application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last drafting phases. The area is increasingly placing itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing critical minerals has actually become a tactical priority.