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El Houni asked the speakers to share what keeps them "on-point" at work and what guidance they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu said it was "crucial to construct borders" between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "detach" from the workplace.
Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the customer pleased, who will then make the shareholders happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering a solution for issues.
Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business 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 region, and what follows, including the expansion and continuous advancement of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role in worldwide 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 efficiency, resilient domestic need and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the most current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to outperform most worldwide areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to expand by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.
Oil earnings will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to increase once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant factor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.
Growth will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, consisting of eased foreign ownership rules that intend to promote additional investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil rates, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.
Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and monetary services stay essential development chauffeurs, supported by population development and continual domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.
GCC News: Strategic Market Trends in 2026Oil production is expected to get once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, technology and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually can be found in structure varied, resilient and internationally competitive economies.
Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is getting rate, supported by robust demand and rising financial investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and continual diversity efforts.
GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'resilience over expansion' getting in 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape specified by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a brand-new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is moving to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening global trade integration, protecting commercial supply chains, and performing a definitive shift from innovation ambition to functional implementation.
Negotiations free of charge Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered final preparing stages. The region is significantly placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting crucial minerals has ended up being a tactical top priority.
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