Evaluating Legacy Models and Future Economic Frameworks

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 said it was "crucial to build borders" between work and personal life and take brief 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 customer happy, who will then make the shareholders pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering an option for problems.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings between investors and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're uniting financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most international areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Can Market Analytics Drive Middle East Corporate Growth?

Oil incomes will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership guidelines that intend to promote more financial investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to relieve inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate 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 broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services stay crucial development motorists, supported by population development and continual 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 anticipated to select up once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, technology and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in building varied, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economist and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring rate, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from strong domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversity efforts.

Analysing 2026 GCC Research for Strategic Growth

GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'durability over growth' getting in 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered final preparing stages. The region is significantly positioning itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting vital minerals has become a strategic top priority.