Will Market Analytics Drive Middle East Corporate Growth?

El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what recommendations they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu stated it was "important to develop limits" between work and individual life and take short holidays to "detach" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the individuals you work with happy, you will make the customer delighted, who will then make the shareholders delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not stress" is the essential to discovering an option for issues.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences 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 uniting investors, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, consisting of the expansion and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in international 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, resilient domestic demand and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the newest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outshine most global areas peers next year, with regional GDP forecast 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 financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Navigating the Next Middle East Corporate Environment

Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the 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 mentioned. Saudi Arabia will remain a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

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

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain crucial development chauffeurs, supported by population development and sustained domestic need. 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 anticipated to pick up once again in the second half of 2026, complementing continuous investment in facilities, technology and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has come in structure varied, resilient and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economist and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining rate, supported by robust need and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and continual diversification efforts.

Key Tips for Operational Excellence in Dubai

GCC nations are rotating towards a strategy of 'strength over growth' going into 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid 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 combination, securing commercial supply chains, and performing a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to functional implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

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