The Operational Advantages of Deep Strategy Intelligence

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 brief holidays to "disconnect" from the workplace.

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

This week, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in 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 investors, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what comes next, including the expansion and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in international networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf area's financial expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector performance, durable domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the most current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outshine most global areas peers next year, with local 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 increasing financial investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Predicting the Next GCC Corporate Landscape

Oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it mentioned. Saudi Arabia will stay a major factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership rules that aim to promote more 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 intends to relieve inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and financial services remain key growth motorists, supported by population growth and sustained domestic demand. 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 expected to get again in the second half of 2026, complementing continuous financial investment in infrastructure, technology and international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook strengthens how far the GCC has actually can be found in building varied, durable and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Economist and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are getting in 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting rate, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as financial pressures increase.""The UAE continues to benefit from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government spending and sustained diversification efforts.

Key Steps for Operational Excellence in the GCC

GCC nations are pivoting towards a method of 'strength over expansion' getting in 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil prices, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a definitive shift from innovation ambition to functional execution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in final preparing stages. The area is increasingly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, securing important minerals has actually ended up being a tactical top priority.