How to Secure a Leading Advantage in Dubai

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

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Economic development throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to accelerate in 2026, with the region projected to exceed its 2025 efficiency despite muted oil revenues and ongoing global unpredictabilities. According to a new Oxford Economics research study rundown, GCC GDP growth is expected to rise to 4.4 percent in 2026, up from 4 percent in 2025, reflecting a resistant nonenergy sector, strong customer characteristics, and gradually enhancing oil output.

But the latest projections recommend that Gulf economies are now wellpositioned to gain back momentum, buoyed by enhancing domestic demand and a broadly constant international backdrop. The report highlights GCC customers as a major chauffeur of the area's economic performance heading into next year. Low inflation, robust labour markets, and growing real disposable earnings are expected to sustain a rise in consumer costs throughout the Gulf.

Credit growth is likewise anticipated to remain elevated as access to financial services widens. With GCC central banks expected to follow anticipated US Federal Reserve rate cuts due to the area's dollar pegs, obtaining costs are most likely to decline, giving homes and companies even more impetus to invest and invest. While the nonoil sector continues to anchor the area's resilience, the GCC's hydrocarbon outlook provides a mixed photo.

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This might weigh on firsthalf growth, particularly for economies more depending on oil extraction. Oxford Economics predicts a rebound later on in 2026, with Opec+ members anticipated to resume raising production as inventories tighten up and international need improves. Qatar, meanwhile, stands out as a local outperformer, with considerable expansions in gas production and exports expected to lift its total economic performance.

Saudi Arabia's 2026 spending plan expects a 6 percent cut in capital investment as the kingdom intends to narrow its financial deficit by two percentage points. The report notes that these cuts might not materialise fully if countercyclical costs procedures are triggered to support growth. By contrast, more varied economies such as the UAE and Qatar are expected to continue advancing their development agendas.

Despite shortterm threats connected to oil rates and worldwide demand, the GCC's 2026 economic outlook is specified by strength in principles: resilient consumers, robust nonenergy sectors, improving oil dynamics, and tactical fiscal preparation. With these aspects lining up, the region is preparing for among its most balanced durations of expansion recently anchored by a clear upward trajectory in GDP growth.

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RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council regional economies are anticipated to remain durable in 2026, driven by strong domestic need and a broadly constant international economy, according to an analysis. In its latest 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 projected 4 percent this year.

We anticipate GCC development will rise to 4.4 percent in 2026, from 4 percent this year."In November, the GCC Statistical Center said that financial development in the region is set to speed up to 4.3 percent by 2027, driven by broadening non-oil sectors.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Non-oil activities represented 73.2 percent of overall GDP, up from 70.6 percent at the end of 2024, highlighting the area's ongoing development towards diversification. According to Oxford Economics, GCC consumers will be standout entertainers in 2026 and are expected to surpass their worldwide peers. Oxford Economics said that low inflation has helped safeguard development in genuine non reusable earnings, which has likewise been supported by strong demand and really low joblessness rates."We do not picture any let-up, as governments continue to push for greater foreign direct financial investment in their push to diversify their economies away from oil and gas," the report included.

In December, the IMF further stated that heading inflation is expected to stay listed below 2 percent in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, near 2 percent in the Kingdom and the UAE, and slightly above 2 percent in Kuwait in 20252026. According to Oxford Economics, credit growth is expected to stay elevated in the GCC area during 2026, as access to financial services is expected to grow and loaning is projected to be supported by additional cuts in rate of interest."Owing to their currency pegs to the US dollar, GCC central banks are anticipated to follow the United States Federal Reserve by easing financial policy even more, which in turn will reduce debt maintenance expenses and boost disposable earnings and need," stated the report.