Emerging Future Shifts Defining the 2026 Regional Market

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 stated it was "important to develop boundaries" between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

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

Today, 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 changing in the region, and what follows, consisting of the growth and ongoing advancement 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 area's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, durable domestic demand and restored investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most global regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Methods for Optimising GCC Strategy in 2026

Oil earnings will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise once again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote additional investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil prices, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services stay crucial growth motorists, supported by population development 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 anticipated to select up again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching continuous financial investment in facilities, technology and worldwide trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually can be found in building diverse, resistant 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 getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting pace, supported by robust demand and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Emerging Future Trends Shaping the 2026 Regional Economy

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'resilience over growth' going into 2026, as the region prepares for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition 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 global trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in final drafting phases. The region is progressively placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has become a tactical concern.