Predicting the Next Middle East 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 "crucial to build boundaries" between work and personal life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.

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

Today, we're convening more than 3000 meetings in 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 uniting investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what comes next, including the expansion and ongoing 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 area's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resilient domestic demand and renewed investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most global areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Analysing New Market Research for Future Insights

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 region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will remain 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, including eased foreign ownership rules that aim to promote further investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain crucial growth motorists, supported by population growth and continual domestic demand. 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 once again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in facilities, technology and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has been available in building varied, resistant and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring speed, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Predicting the 2026 GCC Corporate Environment

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'strength over expansion' getting in 2026, as the region gets ready for a global landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift 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 integration, securing industrial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to operational execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting stages. The area is significantly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting vital minerals has actually ended up being a strategic top priority.