Arab News | First UK-GCC business forum since free trade deal to be held in London

RIYADH: The UK and Gulf Cooperation Council’s first major business forum since signing a bilateral trade deal will be held in London on Oct. 20.

The UK and the GCC concluded negotiations on the free trade agreement on May 20, with a deal that will see tariffs removed on around 93 percent of goods, eliminating an estimated £580 million ($766.48 million) of duties a year.

Total UK-GCC trade was valued at around £53 billion in 2025, and the deal could raise bilateral trade by nearly 20 percent.

The forum, set to be held in London’s Guildhall, will run under the high patronage of the GCC Secretariat, with Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry an institutional partner.

The one-day programme will focus on bilateral investment ties and high-level networking.

“The conclusion of the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement has opened a new chapter in one of the world’s most consequential economic relationships,” said Carlos Martinez, CEO of The Business Year, the media and events group organizing the forum.

He added: “This dialogue brings the people who will shape what comes next into one room: the governments that negotiated the agreement, the sovereign investors who will act on it, and the companies that will build the trade it creates.”

A first for the Gulf

The agreement is the first the GCC has concluded with a G7 country. Arab News reported in May that analysts see it as a structural bet on Gulf economic transformation and a template for how the bloc deals with other major economies.

Beirut-based economist Jassem Ajaka told Arab News at the time that Gulf states have moved from “rule-takers to rule-makers.” He said the deal gives the UK a gateway to GCC markets after Brexit, while giving the Gulf deeper investment links with a major economy and access to UK food supplies, a priority for a bloc that imports more than 80 percent of what it consumes.

Matching Gulf ambitions with UK strengths

The deal’s logic is tied to Gulf diversification programmes such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to become a global finance and technology hub. These have created demand for British strengths in finance, engineering, cybersecurity and fintech. 

David Landsman of British Expertise International told Arab News that UK firms are already involved in the region’s transformation programmes, and that the deal strengthens that position.

“With the terms now settled, government representatives, sovereign investors, and corporate leaders from both sides will move the relationship from principle to practice, translating tariff schedules and market access into trade corridors, capital flows, and partnerships,” The Business Year statement read.

Speakers from government, finance and tech

The Dialogue’s lineup spans government, sovereign investment, finance and technology across the UK and the Gulf. 

Confirmed participants include Secretary General of the GCC Council, Jassem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi and Lady Mayor of London, Susan Langley.

Martin Gilbert, chairman of Revolut, will also take part, alongside Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Faisal Al-Thani, CEO of the Qatar Free Zones Authority, and Deemah AlY-ahya, secretary general of the Digital Cooperation Organization. 

Nasser Al-Kindi, CEO of Invest Oman, Haitham Al-Salmi, CEO of Muscat Stock Exchange, and Ali Khalil, CEO of Markaz, will also attend, with Nicola Watkinson of TheCityUK completing the named list. 

Senior figures from Gulf economic authorities, free zones, financial institutions and the technology sector will also attend.

Strategic partners and sponsors

Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry joins UK Export Finance, the City of London Corporation, and the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority as strategic partners, alongside TheCityUK and TechUK.

The Kuwait Banking Association joins as Platinum Sponsor. Invest Oman, Zain Group, Markaz and Qatar Insurance Company are Gold Sponsors, while Muscat Stock Exchange and Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park are Silver Sponsors. 

EDAA Qatar and KNET join as Bronze Sponsors, Oman’s Public Authority for Special Economic Zones is a Strategic Partner, and Al-Yaqout & Al-Fouzan Legal Group is the Legal Partner.