When I look back at Globant’s journey in the Middle East over the past few years, what stands out is the extraordinary ambition and pace of transformation, redefining this region. Every conversation — with a minister, a league commissioner, or a CEO — carries the same conviction: we are building the future, and we want partners who can build it with us. That shared sense of purpose has defined Globant’s trajectory, and 2025 became the year when our long-term vision turned into measurable impact.
Our most significant milestone came in May with the inauguration of our Middle East regional headquarters in Riyadh, a new home designed as a Centre of Excellence for AI, creativity, and next-generation digital solutions. Establishing this hub less than two years after entering the market is a statement of trust — from governments, enterprises, and national champions. But more importantly, it signals a deep, long-term commitment to talent development, capability building, and exporting Saudi-grown innovation to the world. As we continue to train local professionals in AI engineering and agentic workflows, we are helping the Kingdom position itself as a global technology powerhouse.
This spirit of reinvention guided our work across multiple industries in 2025. In sports and automotive—two sectors where milliseconds, data, and emotion converge — Globant delivered some of its most sophisticated AI-driven platforms to date. For the 2025 Formula 1 season, we launched the Team Content Delivery System, an end-to-end solution integrating more than 30 live channels of data, video, and telemetry to support race-critical decision-making. Seeing this system in action in Jeddah, with real-time response times under five seconds, was a vivid demonstration of how technology can amplify human performance under pressure.
Our momentum in sports continued through an expanded multi-year partnership with FIFA, supporting the digital transformation of global football ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, and future youth and esports tournaments. Together, we are reimagining the digital heartbeat of the world’s most popular sport — where the magic of football feels as alive on the screen as it does on the pitch.
In Saudi Arabia, 2025 also marked the launch of our first major collaboration with the Saudi Pro League, where our sports technology company Sportian deployed a comprehensive Competition Management System. This AI-powered platform digitises every operational layer—from player registration and referee assignments to compliance and analytics—supporting the SPL’s ambition to become one of the most technologically advanced leagues in the world, fully aligned with Vision 2030.
Another defining achievement was deepening our role in Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation. Together with Red Sea Global, we are creating a digitally connected visitor ecosystem powered by AI, IoT, and real-time orchestration. The goal: to set a global benchmark for personalised, sustainable, and frictionless luxury travel. Every journey—from transportation to resort experiences—is being redefined to feel intuitive and effortless, a model born in the kingdom and designed to inspire the world.
Adding to this momentum, we recently celebrated the completion of a landmark project with Qiddiya Six Flags—an immersive digital layer built to power one of the most anticipated entertainment destinations globally. For our team, it represents both a technical milestone and a moment of pride, symbolising how far creativity and innovation can go when powered by shared vision.
Our focus on tourism innovation also continued through our collaboration with TOURISE, where we co-authored the Agentic Tourism Report. This framework introduces autonomous AI agents that continuously learn, adapt, and optimise experiences, operations, and sustainability. More than a white paper, it is a blueprint for the future of tourism — an invitation for governments, operators, and innovators to reimagine entire ecosystems.
As we look toward 2026, one thing is certain: AI-driven reinvention is no longer optional — it is foundational. Industries are converging, data is becoming infrastructure, and intelligence is moving from the edge to the core of every enterprise. Our strategic outlook for the year ahead centres on expanding our agentic AI capabilities, deepening ecosystem partnerships, and continuing to invest in local talent so that innovation is not imported — it is homegrown.
At Globant, our mission remains clear: to reinvent businesses through technology, culture, and design. And in the Middle East, that reinvention is not a distant vision — it is already happening, every day.
