Industrial Excellence: a Key Pillar for 2026 Success

Company news and financial news, analysis, opinion and stats covering the six Gulf Corporation Council members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Financial development across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to accelerate in 2026, with the region projected to outshine its 2025 efficiency in spite of soft oil profits and ongoing international uncertainties. According to a new Oxford Economics research briefing, GCC GDP growth is expected to rise to 4.4 percent in 2026, up from 4 percent in 2025, reflecting a durable nonenergy sector, strong consumer characteristics, and slowly enhancing oil output.

The latest projections recommend that Gulf economies are now wellpositioned to restore momentum, buoyed by enhancing domestic need and a broadly constant global backdrop. The report highlights GCC consumers as a major driver of the area's financial efficiency heading into next year. Low inflation, robust labour markets, and growing real non reusable incomes are expected to sustain a surge in consumer costs throughout the Gulf.

Credit growth is likewise forecast to remain elevated as access to financial services expands. With GCC main banks anticipated to follow expected United States Federal Reserve rate cuts due to the area's dollar pegs, borrowing expenses are likely to decrease, offering families and businesses even more motivation to invest and invest. While the nonoil sector continues to anchor the area's strength, the GCC's hydrocarbon outlook presents a mixed picture.

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This might weigh on firsthalf development, especially for economies more depending on oil extraction. Oxford Economics projects a rebound later on in 2026, with Opec+ members anticipated to resume raising production as stocks tighten up and international demand enhances. Qatar, meanwhile, sticks out as a regional outperformer, with substantial expansions in gas production and exports anticipated to lift its overall financial performance.

Saudi Arabia's 2026 budget expects a 6 per cent cut in capital investment as the kingdom intends to narrow its financial deficit by two percentage points. The report notes that these cuts may not materialise totally if countercyclical spending steps are triggered to support development. By contrast, more diversified economies such as the UAE and Qatar are anticipated to continue advancing their development agendas.

In spite of shortterm threats connected to oil prices and worldwide demand, the GCC's 2026 economic outlook is specified by strength in fundamentals: resilient customers, robust nonenergy sectors, enhancing oil characteristics, and tactical fiscal planning. With these elements lining up, the region is preparing for one of its most balanced periods of growth recently anchored by a clear upward trajectory in GDP development.

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RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council regional economies are anticipated to remain durable in 2026, driven by strong domestic demand and a broadly steady worldwide economy, according to an analysis. In its most current report, Oxford Economics highlighted that the real gdp of the GCC region is expected to expand by 4.4 percent in 2026, up from the forecasted 4 percent this year.

US trade policy under President Donald Trump has actually had no noteworthy influence on regional development, and non-energy sectors have sustained their robust momentum," stated Oxford Economics. It added: "Meanwhile, oil production has actually gradually increased, supplying an increase to the region's economies. We expect GCC development will rise to 4.4 percent in 2026, from 4 percent this year."In November, the GCC Statistical Center said that economic growth in the region is set to speed up to 4.3 percent by 2027, driven by expanding non-oil sectors.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Non-oil activities represented 73.2 percent of total GDP, up from 70.6 percent at the end of 2024, highlighting the region's continued development towards diversification. According to Oxford Economics, GCC consumers will be standout performers in 2026 and are expected to surpass their worldwide peers. Oxford Economics said that low inflation has assisted safeguard growth in genuine disposable income, which has actually likewise been supported by strong demand and really low unemployment rates."We do not visualize any let-up, as federal governments continue to promote higher foreign direct investment in their push to diversify their economies far from oil and gas," the report added.

In December, the IMF further said that headline inflation is expected to remain listed below 2 percent in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, close to 2 percent in the Kingdom and the UAE, and somewhat above 2 percent in Kuwait in 20252026. According to Oxford Economics, credit development is anticipated to stay raised in the GCC region throughout 2026, as access to monetary services is anticipated to grow and financing is forecasted to be supported by further cuts in rate of interest."Owing to their currency pegs to the United States dollar, GCC central banks are expected to follow the United States Federal Reserve by easing monetary policy even more, which in turn will reduce debt servicing costs and improve disposable earnings and need," said the report.