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ME PoV Summer 2025 issue

Staying power

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About this issue

This Summer issue of the Middle East Point of View explores what it truly means to build staying power in today’s dynamic environment—through innovation, governance, and strategic foresight.

In a region defined by bold ambition and relentless evolution, the question facing businesses today is not what’s next?… but what lasts? Across the Middle East, organizations are driving a wave of regulatory, technological, and strategic shifts that are reshaping what it means to be competitive, resilient—and built to endure.

In Agentic AI: From enterprise autonomy to bank-in-a-box reality by Ravi Ranjan, we look at how intelligent systems are not just enhancing business processes but reshaping entire operating models. Banks can now position themselves to harness the full potential of Agentic AI, driving innovation, efficiency, and long-term relevance.

But staying power isn’t solely technological. In Rethinking failure: Why restructuring and insolvency can drive innovation in the UAE, Paul Leggett and Jennifer Frenis explore how strategically dealing with crises can lead to renewal—framing failure as a powerful catalyst in progressive economies that value reinvention over retreat.

Data is also emerging as a new pillar of enduring value. In The hidden asset: Monetizing government data across the GCC, Konstantinos Kritikos, Ahmed Ahmednafea, and Dalia Ahmad reveal how public sector innovation is beginning to unlock the untapped potential of government data across the region. Meanwhile, Carlos Obeid and Daniel Brierley’s and article Transforming your business: Uncovering the missing pieces in KSA Personal Data Protection Law compliance underscores the growing importance of privacy, data protection, and effective governance practices amid evolving regulatory demands. 

Staying power also calls for solid internal strategy. In Getting the house in order: The case for early IPO preparation, Azhar Hussain, Saima Jalal, and Areej Shalabi advocate for early-stage readiness—legal, structural, and strategic—well before going to market. And in Subsidiary governance: Building control and clarity across group structures, Wael Kaafarani and Noor Younes highlight how clarity in governance is critical to scaling while maintaining control and coherence.

At the foundation lies financial transparency—an important element of business longevity. In Understanding IFRS 18: Revolutionizing financial statement presentation, Krishna Kumar and Noman Ijaz reflect on how the new standard demands a recalibration in performance reporting. And as the investment management sector matures across the region, Muhammad Faiq Khalid, in Structured valuation policies: Essential for the growing Middle East investment management industry, makes a compelling case for rigorous valuation frameworks as a basis for attracting and sustaining long-term capital.

Finally, transformation isn’t just about systems—it’s about informed decisions and strategic execution. In Lessons from the frontline: Delivering superior value in technology M&A, Zaid Selman explores how rigorous due diligence and smart integration planning in tech M&A are essential to unlocking value and protecting business durability in the Gulf’s fast-moving digital economy.

Together, these insights illustrate a region not merely responding to change—but designing it with intent. Staying power is more than survival—it’s about building institutions, systems, and strategies that are equipped to thrive through disruption and endure with purpose. 

We hope you enjoy reading this Summer issue of the Middle East Point of View.
The ME PoV Editorial Team

Structured valuation policies: Essential for the growing Middle East investment management industry

All valuation specialists agree on one point: valuation is both an art and a science, highlighting the inherent subjectivity of the process. While differences of opinion are generally minor, the dispersion between appraisers’ views can vary significantly when appraising businesses in high-growth, emerging sectors.
Perspective

Lessons from the frontline: Delivering superior value in technology M&A

The governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to support entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems as part of their digital transformation agendas. Over the past decade, technology M&A transactions have increased substantially, underscoring the prevalence of digital business models.

Getting the house in order: The case for early IPO preparation

Listing, or going public through an initial public offering (IPO), is a significant undertaking. In the Middle East—particularly in the GCC region—there has been record interest from across industries in entering the public markets, all with one common aim: to IPO as soon as possible.

The hidden asset: Monetizing government data across the GCC

Across the GCC, government entities are generating unprecedented volumes of data—spanning citizen demographics, urban planning and infrastructure, transport and mobility, health and public safety, the economy, tourism, and more. 

Transforming your business: Uncovering the missing pieces in KSA Personal Data Protection Law compliance

Months after the compliance deadline for the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) set by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), its impact is becoming increasingly evident. Organizations based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are striving to meet the law’s requirements and, as a result, are investing in multiple privacy compliance-oriented projects.

Rethinking failure: Why restructuring and insolvency can drive innovation in the UAE market

As the restructuring and insolvency landscape in the UAE continues to evolve, there is a growing need to shift the perception of insolvency from a last resort to a strategic business tool.

Understanding IFRS 18: Revolutionizing financial statement presentation

In  April 2024, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) introduced IFRS 18 – Presentation and Disclosure in Financial Statements, replacing  the older IAS 1 standard. IFRS 18 is designed to improve how companies present their financial performance and position so that investors and other stakeholders can better understand and compare them. 

Agentic AI: From enterprise autonomy to bank-in-a-box reality

Across the region, the expectation and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)—particularly Generative AI (GenAI)—within banking departments and functions have become prominent topics. While analytics and decision science have long been integral to financial services for decades, the technological advancements and success of GenAI in 2022 created significant buzz across the banking sector.

Subsidiary governance: Building control and clarity across group structures

As business groups scale across borders and sectors, their legal entity structures inevitably become more complex. In dynamic markets, large organizations often operate through numerous subsidiaries that span multiple regulatory jurisdictions, service lines, and local markets.