In a first for the firm, its licence-holders include business leaders from all top 10 companies appearing on the index, namely: Walmart; Sinopec; Shell; China National Petroleum; State Grid; BP; Saudi Aramco; Exxon; Volkswagen; and Toyota.

Oliver Cornock, Editor-in-Chief, said the results showed that decision-makers around the world recognised both the high standard of OBG’s business intelligence and the firm’s ability to identify markets with high-growth potential.

“Over the years Oxford Business Group has carved a niche as a leading provider of accurate and comprehensive analysis of the frontier and emerging markets that are reshaping the economic landscape,” he said. “I’m delighted that business leaders at more than two-thirds of the world’s powerhouses now view us as a go-to resource when making their investment decisions.”

Marc-André de Blois, OBG’s Director of PR and Video Content, also welcomed the positive trend, saying the Group prides itself on having some of the industry’s most experienced analysts conducting and compiling research on the ground in more than 30 countries worldwide.

“Many firms keen to enter emerging markets cite shortfalls in reliable business intelligence as one of the biggest challenges they face,” he said. “I’m delighted that in 2019 – our 25th year of operations – more high-level executives than ever before recognised that we were filling that void effectively.”

The Fortune Global 500 Index is an annually-produced list of the world’s 500 largest corporations [2], ranked by revenue for the fiscal year ended on or before March 31.