Optimising Operational Efficiency through Strategic Market Research

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 personal life and take short vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

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

Today, we're convening more than 3000 conferences 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 uniting investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, consisting of the expansion and ongoing advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in worldwide 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, durable domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outshine most international regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Maintain a Competitive Edge in Dubai

Oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain 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 alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that intend to stimulate additional financial investment. The financial deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed 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 financial services remain key development drivers, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to get again in the second half of 2026, matching continuous investment in facilities, technology and international 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 building varied, resistant and globally competitive economies.

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

Methods for Scaling GCC Operations in 2026

GCC nations are rotating towards a method of 'durability over expansion' going into 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, protecting industrial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from technology aspiration to operational execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting stages. The area is progressively positioning itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing vital minerals has actually become a strategic concern.