Gushcloud expands into Middle East and North Africa

Gushcloud International is expanding into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with the launch of its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi, backed by a strategic, multi-year partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).

The move strengthens the global creator management and licensing company’s presence in one of the fastest-growing creator economies, while supporting Abu Dhabi’s push to become a leading global media and entertainment hub. Powered by AI, Gushcloud works with creators, influencers, and brands worldwide to build sustainable careers and monetisation models.

Through the partnership, Gushcloud will scale its operations, foster innovation, and support talent development across the region. The expansion comes amid rapid industry growth — the global creator economy is expected to grow from US$224.2 billion in 2025 to more than US$2.71 trillion by 2037. In the UAE alone, the number of social media users is projected to rise by 1.1 million between 2024 and 2029, reaching an estimated 11.54 million users by 2029.

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From its new global creator hub in Abu Dhabi, Gushcloud will work with key partners across the region to nurture local talent by collaborating with governments and universities, creating career pathways and internships for Emiratis in the creator economy. It also plans to identify and invest in leading MENA creators to elevate them into global names through its 'Creator venture program', while at the same time backing international creators to establish sustainable businesses and secure funding in the UAE.

For brands and agencies, the company will develop tailored solutions to expand their reach into MENA and India via influencers and content creators, and it will create new offline and online experiences to showcase the influence of both local and global talent in the region.

“We are pleased to have Gushcloud expand its presence in Abu Dhabi. This advances our shared ambition to grow a world-class creator economy in our nation. The appointment of senior leadership in the emirate reflects real momentum and underlines Abu Dhabi’s role as a magnet for talent, innovation and global opportunity in the digital media space," said Badr Al-Olama, director general of ADIO.

“Abu Dhabi offers a thriving ecosystem for digital content creators. The city’s strategic location and business-friendly environment make it an ideal hub for our operations in MENA and India. We look forward to deepening our connections with the local community and contributing to its vibrant digital media ecosystem," stated Andrew Lim, group CFO of Gushcloud.

Gay Carr, group chief of staff and chief people officer for MENA, added: “We are honoured to be partners with ADIO, the local government and universities in Abu Dhabi. At Gushcloud, we are committed to align our goals with Abu Dhabi's Vision 2030 — that of economic diversification, sustainable development, and human capital development. Hence, we will be deeply investing into building up the creator economy and be part of the larger ongoing ecosystem.”

In a related move to strengthen its global footprint, Gushcloud has acquired the multi-channel network (MCN) asset of Paris-based Wizdeo, one of Europe’s largest YouTube-certified creator platforms.

The deal aims to build a more structured, scalable global ecosystem for creator monetisation, granting Gushcloud YouTube direct sales rights across new markets and access to reserved media inventory, a premium tier of fixed CPM ad placements.

Through this acquisition, over 150 top-performing YouTube channels from Wizdeo will join Gushcloud’s global network, significantly boosting its reach across Asia, North America, and Europe.

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