Can Strategic Research Drive Middle East Industrial Growth?

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

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the customer pleased, who will then make the shareholders happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the ability to "not worry" is the essential to discovering a service for issues.

Today, 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 investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what comes next, including the growth and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in global networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic demand and restored investment momentum, according to the latest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outshine most international regions peers next year, with regional GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Methods for Optimising GCC Operations in 2026

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

Growth will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership rules that aim to promote further investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to broaden 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 relieve inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain key growth motorists, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. 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 pick up again in the second half of 2026, matching continuous investment in infrastructure, technology and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has can be found in building varied, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

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

Key Tips for Operational Excellence in the GCC

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

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gone into final drafting phases. The area is increasingly positioning itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting critical minerals has actually ended up being a strategic priority.