Analysing 2026 GCC Data for Future Growth

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

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

This week, we're assembling 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 bringing together investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what follows, including the expansion and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing function in global 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 performance, durable domestic demand and restored financial investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most international areas peers next year, with regional GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Emerging Strategic Shifts Shaping the 2026 Regional Market

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

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to promote more financial investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and financial services remain essential development drivers, supported by population growth and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is expected to choose up once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching continuous investment in facilities, innovation and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in structure diverse, resilient and internationally 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 entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is getting rate, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

Key Steps for Operational Excellence in Dubai

GCC countries are pivoting towards a method of 'resilience over growth' going into 2026, as the region gets ready 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 regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional implementation.

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Negotiations for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in final preparing stages. The region is significantly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing crucial minerals has actually become a tactical priority.