How to Maintain a Competitive Edge in Dubai

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

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

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings between investors and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined value 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 changing in the region, and what comes next, including the expansion and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing function 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 performance, resistant domestic demand and renewed financial 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 areas peers next year, with local GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is forecasted to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Optimising Operational ROI through Strategic Business Research

Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to increase once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of alleviated foreign ownership rules that aim to promote additional investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil costs, while the current 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 efficiency, with GDP projection to rise 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and monetary services stay crucial development motorists, supported by population growth and continual 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 expected to select up again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing financial investment in infrastructure, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has actually come in building varied, resilient and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic 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 demand and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in government costs and continual diversity efforts.

Emerging Future Shifts Defining the 2026 GCC Economy

GCC countries are rotating towards a method of 'durability over growth' entering 2026, as the region prepares for a global landscape specified by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening international trade combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from technology ambition to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have actually gotten in final drafting stages. The region is significantly positioning itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting vital minerals has actually become a strategic priority.