Maximising Operational ROI through Advanced Business Research

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 Founder of Snoonu stated it was "important to construct limits" in between work and personal life and take short vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

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

This week, we're assembling 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 changing in the area, and what follows, including the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in global 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 performance, durable domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the most recent ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most international regions peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Optimise GCC Operations in 2026

Although oil incomes 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 mentioned. Saudi Arabia will remain a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that intend to stimulate more financial investment. The fiscal deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is likewise placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and financial services stay crucial growth motorists, 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 expected to get again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and global 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 structure diverse, durable and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Handling Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting pace, supported by robust need and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic principles, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversity efforts.

Predicting the Next Middle East Business Environment

GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'strength over expansion' going into 2026, as the region gets ready for a worldwide landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology ambition to operational execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in last preparing phases. The region is increasingly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, protecting crucial minerals has become a tactical top priority.