Can Market Research Define Middle East Corporate Success?

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

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the individuals you work with pleased, you will make the client delighted, who will then make the shareholders happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not panic" is the essential to discovering a solution for issues.

This week, we're assembling more than 3000 conferences in 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 uniting financiers, business, exchanges, and policymakers to discuss what is altering in the region, and what follows, consisting of the growth and continuous development 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 area's economic growth in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resilient domestic need and renewed financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is expected to exceed most global areas peers next year, with local GDP forecast to grow by 4.4%. Across the GCC, non-energy activity is projected to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, enhancing credit conditions and increasing investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

How to Scale Regional Operations in 2026

Oil profits will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to rise once again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will remain a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP forecast to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Development will be supported by industrial expansion and policy reforms, including reduced foreign ownership guidelines that aim to stimulate further investment. The fiscal deficit is forecasted to broaden to 5.6% of GDP next year in the middle of softer oil costs, while the current five-year lease freeze in Riyadh intends to relieve inflationary pressures, though it might 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 expand. Tourism, trade and financial services remain essential growth motorists, 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.

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 international trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, said: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually come in structure diverse, resistant and worldwide competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, said: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are entering 2026 with strong foundations. Saudi non-oil activity is gaining speed, supported by robust need and rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from strong domestic principles, a sharp uplift in government costs and continual diversity efforts.

Will Strategic Analytics Drive Middle East Corporate Success?

GCC countries are pivoting towards a strategy of 'strength over growth' getting in 2026, as the area prepares for a global landscape defined by softer oil rates, geopolitical fragmentation, and the fast transition to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is transferring to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from innovation aspiration to operational implementation.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Settlements free of charge Trade Contracts with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have gotten in final drafting phases. The region is significantly positioning itself as a main hub for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Passage (IMEC). To support domestic production, protecting critical minerals has become a tactical priority.