How Top Expert Networks Transform Market Research in Asia
industrial zone ksa

For Asian consulting firms, investors, and corporates, market research in MENA is generally difficult to do due to multiple factors such as scarce data, irregular stats, varied regulations, and major cultural intricacies. These firms can solve this issue by tapping into local MENA-based expert networks such as Infoquest.

expert networks

Challenges of researching MENA emerging markets

 

Public data won’t save you. Here’s why:

 

  • Sparse, lagging data: Official stats and syndicated reports are patchy or late. By the time they’re published, the market has already moved.
  • Fragmented regulation: Rules vary by country and within countries. Gulf free zones vs on-shore, central bank circulars, informal “soft rules.” You won’t find this nuance in PDFs.
  • Relationship-driven ecosystems: Distribution, tenders, and partner selection often run through gatekeepers.
  • Language and subtext: Arabic (and local business etiquette) matter. Direct translations miss meaning; the real signal is context, phrasing, and what people don’t say.
  • Fast-moving industries: Tech, fintech, healthcare, and energy evolve weekly, where new licenses, pilots, JV announcements, and sudden policy notes happen often.

 

How expert networks bridge the gap for Asian clients

 

Good expert networks do one job well: put you in front of people who actually know, operators, regulators, ex-policymakers, distributors, CTOs, or procurement heads. 

What that looks like in practice:

 

  1. Laser-targeted sourcing
    You don’t want a “healthcare expert.” You need the ex-MoH leader who helped rewrite a device registration guideline in the UAE, or the head of pharmacy procurement at a top GCC hospital group. This precision from expert networks saves you weeks.

     

  2. Triangulation, not hero calls
    One expert call is a quote. Three calls are a trend. But five calls across different areas (regulator, operator, vendor, customer) give you conviction. Strong expert networks curate that mix well. 

  3. Speed to clarity
    Asia consulting and strategy teams don’t have months. With the right partner, you can go from question to qualified experts in hours, not days, locking in decisions before competitors can catch up.

  4. Compliance and quality
    You need clean calls under tight NDAs, with conflict screening and topic boundaries respected. Serious networks enforce this and record it.

  5. Industry-specific value

    • Fintech: Which e-money/BNPL licenses are viable, how banks view partnerships, what it really costs to acquire KSA users, and where fraud risk hides.
    • Healthcare: Timeline to product registration, payer mix realities, and how procurement committees actually decide.
    • Energy / Utilities: Realistic timelines for hydrogen, who controls interconnects, EPC capacity bottlenecks, and off-take contract norms.
    • Tech / Data centers: Local power tariffs, land availability, sovereign data rules, and how “green” claims actually translate to PUE on the ground.

  6. Timezone alignment
    A team that can schedule across Gulf + Asia time windows keeps your process moving without 1 a.m. calls.

     

 

Infoquest’s Edge

 

Speed, Precision, and Local Depth

Here’s how Infoquest supports Asian clients who need challenging MENA data, now.

1) Built for speed

  • First lists delivered in under two hours for most briefs.
  • Rolling intros: you don’t wait for a “complete” list; calls can start as soon as the first names are sent. 

2) Custom sourcing > passive databases

  • We don’t recycle generic panels. We cold-source the exact profiles you need (ex-regulators, tender committee members, C-suite operators, channel partners).
  • Lebanon, UAE & Greece-based recruiting hubs give us multilingual reach and time-zone coverage for Asia teams.

3) Regional depth, not theory

GCC and wider MENA is our home turf. We understand deep market intricacies.

4) Operator-level quality control

  • Each expert is screened on relevance, recency, and decision proximity (did they influence or just observe?).
  • Strict compliance: no confidential info, clear topic boundaries, documented consent.

5) Practical deliverables

Fast call scheduling, concise call notes, and optional synthesis across multiple interviews.

6) Cost-effective

Lean model, transparent pricing. You’re paying for real answers, not overhead.

What this looks like (scenario case studies)

  • Fintech licensing in Saudi Arabia: You need to know whether your e-money license plan is realistic and which bank can actually partner with you. We line up a former SAMA leader, a regional bank fintech head, and two e-wallet C-levels with live cohorts. In 48 hours, you know the license path, partnership hurdles, and CAC reality without any guessing.

 

  • Medical devices entry in the UAE: You want device registration timelines and procurement dynamics. We connect you with an ex-DHA official, a hospital network procurement lead, and a distributor with oncology depth. You get an accurate view of documentation traps, payer behavior, and the minimum viable local team.

 

  • Data center JV in Oman: You’re testing power pricing, land allocation, and sovereign data expectations. We connect you with a utility insider, a hyperscaler partner manager, and a regional DC operator. You leave with a realistic PUE band, substation queues, and which “green” claims are bankable.

Asian Clients to MENA Expert Networks Playbook

  1. Define the 5–10 ‘unknowns that kill deals.’ Focus only on the critical blockers, not every possible detail.
  2. Understand your expert needs and connect with Infoquest to connect with these experts.
  3. Triangulate quickly. Three to five high-signal calls beat 30 low-value ones.
  4. Document learnings into decision rules. If X isn’t true by Y date (license, partner, tariff), you pivot or pass.
  5. Decide on the next move.

Infoquest exists to make that workflow efficient and defensible.

Conclusion

If your MENA market research depends on scraping PDFs, you’ll miss MENA’s real story. Expert networks, done properly, turn noise into concrete information by getting you in front of people who’ve actually built, approved, or bought the thing you are looking to learn more about. That’s where conviction comes from.

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