How to Secure a Competitive Advantage 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 stated it was "crucial to build boundaries" between work and personal life and take short holidays to "disconnect" from the workplace.

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

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings between investors and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're combining investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what comes next, including the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in worldwide 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 efficiency, resilient domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most worldwide 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+

Can Market Research Drive Dubai Corporate Success?

Although oil earnings 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 area's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of relieved foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate additional financial investment. The financial deficit is projected to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amidst softer oil costs, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it might constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and financial services remain crucial development drivers, supported by population development and continual domestic demand. 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, complementing ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, innovation and international trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually can be found in structure diverse, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

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

Evaluating Traditional Models and 2026 Economic Frameworks

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'strength over expansion' going into 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, securing commercial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from technology aspiration to functional application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations free of charge Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered last drafting phases. The region is significantly positioning itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing important minerals has become a tactical top priority.