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Service news and financial news, analysis, viewpoint and stats covering the 6 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 area predicted to exceed its 2025 performance despite soft oil revenues and ongoing international uncertainties. According to a new Oxford Economics research rundown, GCC GDP development is anticipated to rise to 4.4 per cent in 2026, up from 4 per cent in 2025, reflecting a resilient nonenergy sector, strong customer dynamics, and slowly improving oil output.

However the current projections suggest that Gulf economies are now wellpositioned to restore momentum, buoyed by enhancing domestic need and a broadly constant worldwide backdrop. The report highlights GCC consumers as a significant motorist of the region's economic efficiency heading into next year. Low inflation, robust labour markets, and growing genuine disposable earnings are expected to fuel a rise in consumer costs across the Gulf.

Credit growth is also forecast to stay elevated as access to monetary services widens. With GCC reserve banks expected to follow awaited US Federal Reserve rate cuts due to the region's dollar pegs, obtaining expenses are likely to decrease, giving families and organizations further incentive to invest and invest. While the nonoil sector continues to anchor the area's resilience, the GCC's hydrocarbon outlook provides a combined picture.

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This could weigh on firsthalf growth, particularly for economies more depending on oil extraction. However, Oxford Economics predicts a rebound later in 2026, with Opec+ members anticipated to resume raising production as stocks tighten up and global demand enhances. Qatar, meanwhile, sticks out as a regional outperformer, with substantial expansions in gas production and exports expected to raise its overall economic performance.

Saudi Arabia's 2026 spending plan prepares for a 6 per cent cut in capital investment as the kingdom intends to narrow its financial deficit by 2 percentage points. Nevertheless, the report notes that these cuts might not materialise completely if countercyclical spending measures are activated to support growth. By contrast, more varied economies such as the UAE and Qatar are anticipated to continue advancing their development programs.

In spite of shortterm threats tied to oil rates and international need, the GCC's 2026 economic outlook is specified by strength in principles: durable customers, robust nonenergy sectors, enhancing oil characteristics, and tactical financial preparation. With these elements lining up, the area is getting ready for among its most balanced durations of expansion in current years anchored by a clear upward trajectory in GDP growth.

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

We expect GCC development will increase to 4.4 percent in 2026, from 4 percent this year."In November, the GCC Statistical Center stated that economic growth 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 accounted for 73.2 percent of overall GDP, up from 70.6 percent at the end of 2024, highlighting the region's continued progress towards diversity. According to Oxford Economics, GCC customers will be standout entertainers in 2026 and are anticipated to surpass their international peers.

In December, the IMF even more stated that heading inflation is anticipated to stay below 2 percent in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, close to 2 percent in the Kingdom and the UAE, and slightly above 2 percent in Kuwait in 20252026. According to Oxford Economics, credit growth is anticipated to stay elevated in the GCC region during 2026, as access to monetary services is anticipated to grow and lending is projected to be supported by further cuts in rate of interest."Owing to their currency pegs to the US dollar, GCC reserve banks are expected to follow the US Federal Reserve by relieving monetary policy even more, which in turn will reduce debt servicing costs and improve disposable earnings and demand," stated the report.