Global market intelligence firm Grand View Research (GVR) is ramping up its presence across the Middle East, signalling how Gulf economies are increasingly relying on data-driven foresight to shape diversification strategies, policy design, and investment decisions.
The California-based firm, which has published nearly 20,000 market intelligence studies worldwide, confirmed a significant surge in regional demand this year. According to company data, more than 300 reports now focus on GCC markets, spanning sectors such as energy, healthcare IT, advanced manufacturing, and financial services. The number of GVR’s Middle East client engagements has climbed to over 100 in 2025, supported by a team of 450 analysts and consultants worldwide.
“The scale of decision-making in this region has changed,” said Swayam Dash, Managing Director at Grand View Research. “Businesses are no longer satisfied with descriptive reports. They want predictive models that can guide capital allocation, diversification, and future readiness. The Middle East is operating at global speed now.”
GVR’s recent projects in the region have included renewable energy market sizing, pharmaceutical pipeline mapping, and sustainability benchmarking through its proprietary Astra ESG platform, developed to align with regulatory disclosure frameworks introduced by UAE and Saudi authorities.
The expansion coincides with a period of sustained non-oil growth across the Gulf. According to the UAE Central Bank’s March 2025 review, the country’s non-oil trade surpassed Dh2 trillion in the first nine months of 2024, equivalent to 135 per cent of GDP. The GCC’s economic growth is projected to accelerate to 3.2 per cent in 2025 and 4.5 per cent in 2026, driven largely by technology, logistics, and sustainable infrastructure, sectors where data analytics and market intelligence play a critical role.
“In markets like Dubai and Riyadh, business decisions are increasingly evidence-based,” Dash said. “Data is now a strategic asset, and those who use it effectively will set the pace for the next phase of Gulf growth.”
The company’s newly announced Dubai office marks a deeper commitment to serving regional clients, helping them identify cross-border opportunities in Asia and Europe. Dash described the Middle East as “one of the fastest-maturing intelligence markets globally, a place where ambition, speed, and data finally meet.”
Analysts say GVR’s regional push mirrors a broader shift among consulting and research firms to localise expertise and deliver sharper, faster insights for Gulf clients. “The next competitive advantage in the region,” Dash noted, “won’t be capital or infrastructure, it will be clarity.”
