(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) AI adoption in the Middle East is surging, particularly in financial services, despite challenges in scaling due to skills shortages and infrastructure issues. National strategies in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar accelerate growth, while cybersecurity and compliance risks remain critical concerns.

Dublin, Oct. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "AI in the Middle East 2025: Adoption Trends, Readiness, and Risk Landscape" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets's offering.

This report provides objective, data-driven insights into how Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on Generative AI (GenAI), is advancing across the region. It examines adoption levels, organizational readiness, and associated risks, offering guidance for credit card companies, payment providers, financial institutions, and corporate clients.

AI adoption grows, but scaling remains limited

By late 2024, nearly 60% of Middle Eastern firms reported fast adoption, but only 14-28% had scaled AI across business functions. Skills shortages, uneven cloud infrastructure, and governance gaps continue to slow progress.

Financial services lead, risks remain high

In 2024, close to nine in ten GCC CEOs reported using GenAI, exceeding global averages. Yet over 60% of firms cite cybersecurity threats and more than 50% point to compliance as their top risks, while cost overruns and talent shortages limit execution.

"AI adoption is advancing across the Middle East, with financial services among the leading sectors," said the founder and CEO of the research firm. "At the same time, organizations face clear readiness gaps in skills, infrastructure, and governance that will shape the pace of implementation."

National strategies drive growth

Governments in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are pushing large-scale AI agendas backed by sovereign wealth funds. Qatar's market is forecast to rise from over EUR 380 million in 2024 to nearly EUR 1.8 billion by 2030, a CAGR of about 30%. Across the GCC, GenAI is expected to generate over USD 23 billion annually, around 2% of GDP.

Key questions answered:

• What was the share of organizations in the Middle East reporting fast AI adoption in 2024?
• What were the top business functions for GenAI use in the GCC in 2024?
• What was the main barrier to AI adoption in the Middle East in 2024?
• How costly were linguistic and infrastructure gaps for AI projects in the Middle East in 2025?
• What risks did Saudi Arabia associate with GenAI in 2025?

Countries covered:

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Qatar

Key Topics Covered:

1. Key Takeaways

2. Management Summary

3. AI Adoption Landscape & Regional Patterns
3.1. Regional Adoption Benchmarks

• Middle East: Organizational AI Adoption Speeds, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• Middle East: AI Implementation Levels by Business Function, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• GCC & Middle East: Companies' GenAI Adoption, in % of Respondents, October-November 2024
• GCC: GenAI Adoption by Business Function, in % of Respondents, May 2024
• GCC & Mid. East: Expectations for Profit Impact of GenAI, in % of Resp. Anticipating Net Increase, Oct-Nov 2024
• GCC & Mid. East: Net Increase from GenAI Adop. Across Five Business Metrics, in?% of Resp., Oct-Dec 2024

3.2. Seller Segmentation & Barriers

• Middle East: Barriers to AI Development and Deployment, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Barriers to Accelerating GenAI Adoption, in % of Organizations, August 2024
• Middle East: Challenges in Attracting AI Talent by Country, in?% of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• Middle East: Linguistic Barriers, Cloud Gaps, Talent Cost Pressures, and Regulatory Challenges, July 2025
• Middle East: Budget Overruns, Financial Planning Deficits, and AI Project Termination Risks, July 2025
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Data-Related Barriers Slowing AI Adoption in Finance, in % of Org., August 2024
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Data-Related Barriers Slowing AI Adoption in Retail & Wholesale, in % of Org., Aug. 2024
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Data-Related Barriers Slowing AI Adoption in Hospitality & Accommodation, in % of Org., August 2024
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Data-Related Barriers Slowing AI Adoption in Media, Entertainment & Gaming, in % of Org., August 2024
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Data-Related Barriers Slowing AI Adoption in Government, in % of Org., August 2024

3.3. Regional Country Deep Dive

• Saudi Arabia: GenAI Readiness, Infrastructure Scale-Up, and Sector-Specific Application Rollout, July 2025
• Saudi Arabia: Leading GenAI Use Cases by Application Type, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• Saudi Arabia: GenAI Risks in Data, Labor, Society, Sovereignty, and AI Integrity, July 2025
• UAE: Leading GenAI Use Cases by Application Type, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• UAE: AI Integration Across Aviation, Retail, Financial Services, Logistics, and Telecommunications, July 2025
• UAE: AI-Driven Operational Scaling, Analytics Deployment, and Capability Development, July 2025
• UAE: AI Talent Development via Youth Initiatives, Workforce Reskilling, and Institutional Support, July 2025
• UAE: Strategic Partnerships, Scalable Infrastructure, and Innovation in National AI Landscape, July 2025
• UAE: Centennial 2071 Vision, Interagency AI Execution, and Adaptive Digital Regulation, July 2025
• Qatar: AI Market Value, in QAR billions, 2024e & 2030f
• Qatar: AI Investments, Localized Language Tools, Urban Tech Initiatives, and SME Support, July 2025
• Qatar: Leading GenAI Use Cases by Application Type, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024

4. Functional Use Cases & Economic Impact
4.1. E-Commerce Seller Operations

• Middle East: GenAI Efficiency, Cloud-Enabled Scalability, and Data Localization Compliance, July 2025
• Middle East: Top AI Applications in Daily Operational Use, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024

4.2. Payments & FinTech Use Cases

• MENA: AI-Driven Personalization, Risk Management, and National Investment in Financial Services, July 2025
• MENA: AI-Driven Personalization, Risk, Fraud Detection, and Compliance in Financial Services, July 2025
• Middle East: GenAI in Fraud Detection, Risk, Customer Engagement, and Financial Automation, July 2025
• Middle East: GenAI Automation, Service Gains, and Talent Gaps in Financial Sector Strategy, July 2025
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Current & Future Gen AI Investment Plans by Business Function, in % of Org., Aug. 2024
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Gen AI Investment Allocation, in % of Organizations, August 2024

5. Risk Management, Trust & Security
5.1. Fraud & Threat Trends

• GCC: Top Risks of Generative AI Adoption, in % of Respondents, Aug-Sep 2024
• Middle East: AI-Related Operational Threat Levels by Country, in?% of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024

5.2. Detection Tools & Risk Models

• Middle East: AI-Powered Financial Threat Detection, TPRM Pilots, and Infrastructure Security, July 2025
• Middle East: AI Risk Management Measures, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024

5.3 Trust & Readiness

• Middle East: AI Preparedness Levels by Organizational Areas, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Availability Status of Responsible AI Policies, in % of Respondents, August 2024

5.4. Regulation & Compliance

• Middle East: AI Value Measurement Practices by Country, in?% of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• MENA: AI Regulation in Finance via Ethics Principles, Data Laws, and Innovation Sandboxes, July 2025

6. Competitive Landscape & Strategic AI Movement
6.1. Market Scale & Activity

• MENA: AI-Driven IT Spending Growth, in USD billions, 2024 & 2025f
• META: AI Spending and Growth Outlook, in USD Billions, 2024 & 2028f
• MENA: Projected GDP Share from AI vs. Other Sources, in % of Total GDP, 2030e

6.2. Strategic Moves by Key Players

• Middle East: GenAI Integration, Arabic LLM Growth, Sector Adoption, and Enterprise AI Strategy, July 2025
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Most Strategic GenAI Technology Partners by Type, in % of Respondents, Aug 2024

7. AI Governance, Regulation & Innovation Enablers
7.1. Public & Private Sector AI Initiatives

• GCC: GenAI Economic Impact, Top Use Cases, Strategic Enablers, and Deployment Barriers, July 2025
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: Awareness of Key Government-Led AI Initiatives, in % of Respondents, Aug 2024

7.2. Regional AI Innovation Frameworks

• Middle East: Data Capability Enhancements for AI, in % of Respondents, Oct-Dec 2024
• GCC: AI Strategies, Infrastructure Development, and Capability Gaps by Maturity Segment, July 2025
• GCC: Country-Level AI Progress in Investment, Infrastructure, and Capability Building, July 2025
• Saudi Arabia & UAE: AI Investment Priorities by Value Chain Segment, in % of Respondents, Aug 2024

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:

• Emirates
• Carrefour
• Aramex
• Etisalat
• Google Cloud
• Microsoft
• IBM
• Oracle
• Ooredoo
• NVIDIA
• Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)
• Qatar Development Bank (QDB)
• Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP)
• Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Qatar (MCIT)
• Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI)

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