How to Optimise Regional Operations in 2026

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what advice they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Creator of Snoonu said it was "essential to construct limits" in between work and individual life and take brief vacations to "detach" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with pleased, you will make the client delighted, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not panic" is the key to discovering a service for problems.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings in 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 financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what follows, including the expansion and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in worldwide networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, durable domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the most current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to surpass most global regions peers next year, with local GDP projection 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 financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Maximising Corporate Efficiency through Strategic Business Research

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

Development will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote further investment. The financial deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil costs, while the recent five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain key development drivers, supported by population development and continual domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to select up again in the second half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in infrastructure, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has been available in building varied, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert 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 gaining rate, supported by robust need and increasing financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government spending and continual diversification efforts.

Essential Steps for Operational Excellence in Dubai

GCC countries are rotating towards a strategy of 'durability over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade integration, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered final drafting phases. The area is increasingly placing itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting critical minerals has become a tactical concern.