Can Market Analytics Drive Dubai Industrial Growth?

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 "important to build boundaries" in between work and individual life and take brief holidays to "disconnect" from the office.

Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO and Board Member of Astra tech, responded that "the best advice is to continuously challenge yourself" while likewise making sure a healthy sleep and exercise routine. Mohamed Khadiri, CEO of Bank of Sharjah pointed out that to excel and "to be near your client, you have to be passionate about your work and comprehend customers' needs". Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, stated: "If you make the people you deal with happy, you will make the client delighted, who will then make the investors delighted."Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, stated the capability to "not worry" is the crucial to finding a service for issues.

This week, we're convening more than 3000 conferences in between financiers and 119 Gulf-listed companies with a combined worth 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 changing in the region, and what follows, including the growth and ongoing development of the Gulf's capital markets, and the area's growing role in global 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, durable domestic need and restored financial investment momentum, according to the current ICAEW Economic Insight Q4 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics. The GCC is anticipated to outperform most global areas peers next year, with regional GDP projection to grow by 4.4%. Throughout the GCC, non-energy activity is predicted to broaden by 4.1% in 2026, driven by strong labour markets, improving credit conditions and increasing financial investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Driving Dubai Industrial Growth through Innovation

Although oil earnings will be under pressure in the very first half of 2026, production is expected to rise again in the second half of 2026, supporting the region's medium-term outlook, it specified. Saudi Arabia will stay a major contributor to GCC momentum, with GDP projection to grow 4.3% in 2026.

Growth will be supported by commercial expansion and policy reforms, including relieved foreign ownership guidelines that aim to promote further investment. The financial deficit is forecasted to widen to 5.6% of GDP next year amid softer oil rates, while the recent five-year rent freeze in Riyadh aims to alleviate 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 projection to increase 5.6% in 2026 as non-oil sectors continue to expand. Tourist, trade and monetary services stay crucial development drivers, supported by population development and sustained domestic demand. Dubai's economy grew 4.4% in the first half of 2025, reflecting broad-based non-oil strength.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Oil production is anticipated to pick up once again in the second half of 2026, complementing ongoing investment in infrastructure, technology and global trade collaborations. Hanadi Khalife, the Head of Middle East, ICAEW, stated: "This quarter's outlook reinforces how far the GCC has actually been available in structure varied, resistant and internationally competitive economies.

Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Consultant, and Chief Financial Expert and Managing Director, Oxford Economics Middle East, stated: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are going into 2026 with strong structures. Saudi non-oil activity is acquiring rate, supported by robust demand and increasing investment, even as fiscal pressures increase.""The UAE continues to take advantage of strong domestic fundamentals, a sharp uplift in federal government costs and continual diversity efforts.

The Strategic Benefits of Advanced Market Research

GCC countries are rotating towards a technique of 'durability over expansion' getting in 2026, as the region prepares for an international landscape defined by softer oil costs, geopolitical fragmentation, and the quick shift to an AI-enabled economy. According to a new regional outlook by PwC, the GCC is relocating to insulate its development from external shocks by deepening worldwide trade integration, protecting industrial supply chains, and carrying out a definitive shift from technology aspiration to operational application.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Negotiations for Free Trade Arrangements with China, the EU, and Japan are advancing, while talks with the UK have entered last preparing stages. The area is progressively placing itself as a central center for east-west trade through the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). To support domestic manufacturing, securing crucial minerals has actually ended up being a strategic top priority.