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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 Founder of Snoonu said it was "crucial to construct limits" in between work and personal life and take short vacations to "detach" from the office.
Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with pleased, you will make the consumer pleased, who will then make the investors pleased."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not stress" is the key to finding an option for problems.
This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences between investors 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, companies, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the area, and what follows, consisting of the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role 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 efficiency, resilient domestic need and renewed investment momentum, according to the most recent 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 projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and rising financial investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.
Although oil incomes will be under pressure in the first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it stated. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.
Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of reduced foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate more financial investment. The financial deficit is predicted to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil prices, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh intends to reduce inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future real estate supply.
Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also placed for another strong year of performance, with GDP forecast to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to broaden. Tourist, trade and monetary services remain key development drivers, supported by population growth and sustained domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.
Oil production is anticipated to get again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, innovation and global trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook enhances how far the GCC has been available in structure diverse, resistant and globally competitive economies.
Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Economic Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring pace, supported by robust need and increasing investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in government spending and sustained diversification efforts.
GCC nations are rotating towards a technique of 'durability over expansion' entering 2026, as the area gets ready for an international landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new local outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening global trade combination, securing commercial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from technology ambition to functional application.
Why Gulf Shared Service Centers Are Relocating To the CloudNegotiations for Free Trade Agreements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered final preparing phases. The region is increasingly positioning itself as a central hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting critical minerals has become a strategic top priority.
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