Predicting the 2026 Middle East Corporate Landscape

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 stated it was "important to build boundaries" between work and personal life and take brief vacations to "disconnect" from the workplace.

Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you work with happy, you will make the consumer delighted, who will then make the investors happy."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the ability to "not worry" is the crucial to discovering a solution for problems.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 meetings between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies 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 altering in the region, and what comes next, consisting of the growth and continuous development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the region's growing role in worldwide networks of capital and trade.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are poised to lead the Gulf region's economic expansion in 2026, supported by strong private-sector efficiency, resistant domestic demand 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 outshine most international regions peers next year, with local GDP forecast 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, improving credit conditions and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related infrastructure.

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Oil revenues will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is anticipated to rise again in the 2nd half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a significant contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by industrial growth and policy reforms, consisting of eased foreign ownership rules that intend to stimulate further financial investment. The fiscal deficit is projected to expand to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil prices, while the current five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to ease inflationary pressures, though it may constrain future housing supply.

Strong domestic fundamentalsThe UAE is also positioned for another strong year of efficiency, with GDP projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and monetary services remain essential development drivers, supported by population growth and continual domestic need. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the very first half of 2025, showing broad-based non-oil strength.

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Oil production is anticipated to get once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing financial investment in facilities, technology and worldwide trade partnerships. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually come in building varied, durable and globally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing 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 rising investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to gain from solid domestic basics, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and continual diversification efforts.

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GCC countries are pivoting towards a method 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 relocating to insulate its growth from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade combination, securing industrial supply chains, and executing a decisive shift from innovation ambition to operational implementation.

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Settlements for Free Trade Arrangements 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 Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing vital minerals has become a strategic concern.