Navigating the 2026 GCC Business Landscape

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what suggestions they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Creator of Snoonu said it was "important to construct borders" between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the client delighted, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not panic" is the key to finding an option for issues.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 conferences between financiers 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 investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what comes next, including the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, durable domestic demand and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current 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 forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

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Oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate further financial investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil prices, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and monetary services stay key growth drivers, 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.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to get once again in the second half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in facilities, technology and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually been available in structure varied, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist 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 getting pace, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and continual diversification efforts.

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GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'durability over growth' entering 2026, as the area gets ready for a global landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening global trade combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and carrying out a decisive shift from innovation ambition to functional execution.

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Negotiations totally free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in last drafting phases. The region is progressively placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting critical minerals has actually become a tactical concern.