Coface Study: Slow Decision-Making Hinders Growth; 82% of Dubai Companies Prioritize AI to Accelerate Business
A new study by Coface, surveying 1,250 business leaders across 13 countries, has revealed that slow decision-making is now one of the most prominent challenges facing corporate growth, with 68% of respondents citing it as a major barrier to expansion. In response, organizations are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to accelerate decision-making and enhance risk foresight. This shift is redefining the role of risk management from a traditional supervisory function into a strategic partner that drives growth.
Dubai Enhances Readiness for the Next Phase
The study’s findings highlight Dubai as a model market with solid governance foundations, where risk and finance departments have become integral to the organizational decision-making process. According to the data, 32% of organizations in the Emirate involve risk management teams right from the ideation stage—exceeding the global average of 24%. Furthermore, 36% of business leaders believe that risk management already acts as a strategic partner in achieving growth.
As these practices take root, organizations are actively moving to boost decision-making agility to keep pace with a dynamic business environment. However, 38% of organizations still view risk management strictly as a protective function, while 32% consider slow decision-making their most significant growth challenge.
These results signal a new evolutionary phase in the business landscape, where organizations leverage data and AI-backed insights to transition from mere execution efficiency to faster, growth-supporting decisions. Underscoring this trend, 82% of organizations in Dubai now prioritize AI-based solutions as a core tool to elevate decision quality and accelerate market response. This aligns seamlessly with the region's positive economic climate, bolstered by the UAE and Saudi Arabia affirming their sovereign credit ratings with a stable outlook, which reflects robust economic fundamentals and reinforces long-term investor confidence.
Slow Decisions: A Major Challenge
The report points out that modern corporate risks extend beyond external market variables; they increasingly stem from within the organizations themselves, largely due to sluggish decision-making and the inability to fully leverage available data. Approximately 59% of organizations note that risk management recommendations are occasionally perceived as overly conservative or disconnected from market realities, which diminishes trust and bogs down the decision-making process.
Additionally, 52% of companies reported that their data remains siloed across different markets and systems. This fragmentation limits their capacity to build a unified view of risks and opportunities, increasing reliance on subjective judgments and consequently delaying responses to rapid market shifts.
Risk Management Enters a New Phase
The study observes a gradual paradigm shift in how risk management is perceived. Beyond its traditional mandate of enforcing governance and mitigating threats, it is increasingly deeply involved in shaping decisions and fostering growth.
While 50% of executives still equate conservative decision-making with greater security, projections indicate a clear pivot in the coming years. 44% of respondents expect risk and finance departments to become strategic growth partners over the next three to five years, compared to just 24% who view them in this capacity today. The study suggests that the most successful organizations will be those that integrate risk management into the earliest stages of decision-making, transforming it into an enabler of growth rather than a bottleneck.
A Few Companies Lead the Transformation
Only a limited fraction of organizations have successfully adopted an integrated approach that positions risk management as a growth engine. Comprising just 12.6% of the surveyed companies, Coface has dubbed this group the "Open Advantage Leaders."
These pioneering organizations are distinguished by practices that foster faster, more effective decisions:
70% involve risk management teams from the early stages of decision-making (compared to an average of 58% among other companies).
29% view risk management as a distinct competitive advantage (vs. a 19% general average).
38% cultivate a culture based on constructive dialogue and positive challenging (compared to 23% elsewhere).
These practices enable organizations to rapidly transform uncertainty into actionable decisions and capitalize on opportunities that competitors might hesitate to pursue.
Data and AI: Drivers for Accelerating Decisions
While data has become a paramount strategic asset, utilizing it effectively remains a hurdle. Only 20% of companies reported possessing consistent, integrated data across their operational markets, restricting their ability to make accurate cross-market comparisons and forecast trends.
To overcome these challenges, organizations are heavily investing in predictive analytics and AI technologies:
59% of executives want risk departments to rely more heavily on predictive analytics to simulate future scenarios.
54% support the accelerated adoption of AI solutions in risk analysis to reduce uncertainty and speed up decision-making, without compromising governance and oversight.
A Greater Role for External Partners
Companies' expectations of their external partners are undergoing a rapid transformation. Rather than just offering protection, partners are now expected to provide proactive insights that help organizations anticipate market trends.
77% of respondents aspire to obtain predictive analytics for forecasting market developments.
71% believe external partners should help bolster organizational confidence when seizing growth opportunities.
65% confirmed that a partner's true value lies in their ability to combine protection, data analysis, and future foresight to support bolder, well-informed decisions.
Xavier Durand, CEO of Coface, emphasized: "The real challenge facing companies today is their ability to transform uncertainty into well-considered decisions. This requires fully leveraging, analyzing, and forecasting data to help organizations make faster and more confident choices. The most successful companies are not necessarily the least exposed to risks, but rather those most capable of employing information and insights to make the right decision at the right time."
For his part, Mohammed Jumaa, CEO and Regional Manager for the Gulf and Egypt at Coface, stated: "Dubai's results reflect a market built on strong governance foundations and an advanced level of maturity in risk management practices. As companies continue to operate in a rapidly changing environment, the next phase of growth will depend on their ability to turn data and risk insights into faster, more confident decisions. Artificial intelligence plays a growing role in enabling organizations to anticipate changes, evaluate opportunities early on, and enhance their agility, all while maintaining the highest standards of governance."