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Business news and financial news, analysis, viewpoint and statistics 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 speed up in 2026, with the area projected to outperform its 2025 efficiency in spite of muted oil earnings and continuous global uncertainties. According to a brand-new Oxford Economics research rundown, GCC GDP growth is expected to increase to 4.4 per cent in 2026, up from 4 per cent in 2025, showing a durable nonenergy sector, strong customer characteristics, and slowly improving oil output.

However the current forecasts suggest that Gulf economies are now wellpositioned to restore momentum, buoyed by strengthening domestic need and a broadly stable global background. The report highlights GCC consumers as a significant driver of the region's financial performance heading into next year. Low inflation, robust labour markets, and growing genuine disposable incomes are anticipated to fuel a rise in consumer costs throughout the Gulf.

Credit development is also forecast to stay raised as access to financial services expands. With GCC main banks expected to follow expected United States Federal Reserve rate cuts due to the region's dollar pegs, obtaining costs are likely to decline, providing homes and services further incentive to invest and invest. While the nonoil sector continues to anchor the area's durability, the GCC's hydrocarbon outlook provides a blended picture.

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This could weigh on firsthalf growth, particularly for economies more reliant on oil extraction. However, Oxford Economics forecasts a rebound later in 2026, with Opec+ members expected to resume raising production as inventories tighten and international demand enhances. Qatar, meanwhile, sticks out as a regional outperformer, with considerable expansions in gas production and exports anticipated to lift its total financial efficiency.

Saudi Arabia's 2026 spending plan prepares for a 6 per cent cut in capital expense as the kingdom intends to narrow its financial deficit by two portion points. However, the report keeps in mind that these cuts might not materialise fully if countercyclical spending steps are triggered to support growth. By contrast, more varied economies such as the UAE and Qatar are expected to continue advancing their advancement agendas.

In spite of shortterm risks connected to oil prices and international demand, the GCC's 2026 economic outlook is specified by strength in principles: durable consumers, robust nonenergy sectors, improving oil dynamics, and strategic financial planning. With these elements lining up, the region is preparing for among its most well balanced periods of growth in the last few years anchored by a clear upward trajectory in GDP growth.

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RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council local economies are anticipated to stay resilient in 2026, driven by strong domestic demand and a broadly stable international economy, according to an analysis. In its newest report, Oxford Economics highlighted that the real gdp of the GCC region is anticipated to broaden by 4.4 percent in 2026, up from the forecasted 4 percent this year.

We expect GCC growth will increase to 4.4 percent in 2026, from 4 percent this year."In November, the GCC Statistical Center said that financial 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 accounted for 73.2 percent of overall GDP, up from 70.6 percent at the end of 2024, highlighting the area's ongoing progress towards diversification. According to Oxford Economics, GCC consumers will be standout performers in 2026 and are anticipated to exceed their worldwide peers. Oxford Economics said that low inflation has actually helped protect growth in real non reusable income, which has also been supported by strong demand and very low joblessness rates."We do not visualize any let-up, as governments continue to promote greater foreign direct financial investment in their push to diversify their economies far from oil and gas," the report added.

In December, the IMF further said that heading inflation is expected to remain listed below 2 percent in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, near to 2 percent in the Kingdom and the UAE, and a little above 2 percent in Kuwait in 20252026. According to Oxford Economics, credit development is anticipated to remain raised in the GCC region during 2026, as access to financial services is anticipated to grow and financing is forecasted to be supported by more cuts in rate of interest."Owing to their currency pegs to the United States dollar, GCC main banks are expected to follow the US Federal Reserve by reducing financial policy even more, which in turn will lower debt maintenance expenses and boost disposable income and demand," stated the report.