Maximising Operational ROI through Advanced Business Planning

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 said it was "important to develop boundaries" between work and personal life and take brief holidays to "detach" from the workplace.

Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO and Board Member of Astra tech, responded that "the very best suggestions is to constantly challenge yourself" while also ensuring a healthy sleep and exercise routine. Mohamed Khadiri, CEO of Bank of Sharjah explained that to excel and "to be close to your client, you need to be passionate about your work and comprehend customers' requirements". Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make individuals you work with pleased, you will make the client delighted, who will then make the investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not worry" is the essential to finding a solution for problems.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 conferences between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're combining financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the area, and what comes next, consisting of 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 area's financial growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, durable domestic need and restored investment momentum, according to the newest ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most worldwide regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Maintain a Leading Edge in 2026

Although oil profits will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will remain 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, including eased foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote further financial investment. The financial deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the recent five-year rent 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. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain essential growth chauffeurs, supported by population growth 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 expected to get once again in the 2nd half of 2026, complementing continuous investment in infrastructure, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has come in building diverse, durable and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economist 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 demand and increasing financial investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and sustained diversification efforts.

Can Market Analytics Define Middle East Industrial Growth?

GCC nations are pivoting towards a strategy of 'strength over expansion' entering 2026, as the region gets ready for an international landscape specified by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, protecting industrial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from innovation ambition to operational application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements totally free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually entered final drafting stages. The region is increasingly placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting vital minerals has actually ended up being a strategic concern.