Even as entrepreneurs look to the Gulf to expand their sales, they look to the Levant to expand their back office operations.

Wamda Research Lab (WRL) interviews with over 50 entrepreneurs revealed that Jordan and Egypt are emerging as tech back office hubs while the UAE and Saudi Arabia are becoming key front office locations for business development.

Several MENA startups, such as Souq.com and Careem, are situating their back offices in Jordan and Egypt respectively, mainly because of their infrastructure, availability and cost of talent.

Large corporations concentrated in GCC, such as Du and Mobily, are also incorporating their back offices in the Levant. Moreover, multinational corporations such as Weight Watchers, Expedia and Microsoft are using the region as a back office for their call centers.  

While India remains a top pick for tech back office or outsourcing services, MENA does have a global competitive advantage because of its use of the Arabic language. This positions it well to provide localized services for multinationals who wish to better serve the region.

Feature image via Pixabay.