Middle East

Premium beauty and personal care saw double-digit current value growth in Israel in 2023. Overall, the premium trend slowed at the end of the review period, as the disposable income of local consumers declined and there was a growing willingness to…

Retail current value sales of premium and luxury cars increased by 8% to AED15.5 billion in 2023, due to demand from higher-income consumers, whose expenditure proved resilient in the face of macroeconomic headwinds. Demand for premium and luxury…

Pre-paid cards in the United Arab Emirates is experiencing a surge in innovation and growth, driven by evolving consumer preferences, technological advances, and the increasing popularity of digital payments. Mobile reloading options, such as bank…

Pre-paid cards are benefitting from the Kingdom’s move towards a cashless society – especially so in certain areas. For example, as seen with the uptake of pre-paid cards for the payment of workers’ salaries, notably so for domestic workers. In this…

In 2023, closed loop pre-paid cards witnessed a decline in transaction value and volume, consistent with a continuing trend as consumers increasingly shift towards payment apps. Despite some consumers still having significant value loaded onto their…