Emerging Future Shifts Defining the 2026 Regional Economy

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 Creator of Snoonu stated it was "crucial to develop boundaries" between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, said: "If you make the people you work with delighted, you will make the client pleased, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, said the capability to "not worry" is the key to finding an option for issues.

Today, we're assembling more than 3000 meetings between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed business with a combined value of $2.4 trillion at the HSBC GCC Exchanges Conference 2026, in London. We're bringing together financiers, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is changing in the region, and what comes next, consisting of the expansion and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing function in global 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 renewed investment momentum, according to the current 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%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in technology and AI-related infrastructure.

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Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the 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 stay a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial growth and policy reforms, including alleviated foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote more financial investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate 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 projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourism, trade and monetary services remain key growth chauffeurs, supported by population development and continual domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

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Oil production is anticipated to get once again in the 2nd half of 2026, matching ongoing investment in facilities, innovation and international trade collaborations. 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 diverse, durable and globally competitive economies.

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

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GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'resilience over growth' going into 2026, as the area prepares for an international landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast 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 combination, protecting commercial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from innovation aspiration to operational execution.

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Negotiations free of charge Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gone into last drafting stages. The area is significantly placing itself as a main center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting critical minerals has actually become a tactical concern.