Operational Excellence: a Key Pillar for Regional Growth

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 Founder of Snoonu stated it was "important to develop boundaries" in between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with pleased, you will make the consumer happy, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not panic" is the essential to finding a service for issues.

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies 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 region, and what follows, including the expansion and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resistant domestic need and renewed 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 areas peers next year, with regional GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Optimising Operational ROI through Advanced Market Planning

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

Development will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership rules that aim to stimulate more investment. The financial deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil costs, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services remain key development motorists, supported by population growth and sustained domestic demand. 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 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually come in building diverse, resilient and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring rate, supported by robust need and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and continual diversity efforts.

Emerging Strategic Trends Defining the 2026 Regional Market

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'durability over expansion' entering 2026, as the area prepares for an international landscape defined 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 transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, securing commercial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last drafting stages. The region is increasingly positioning itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing important minerals has become a tactical concern.