•A Li-ion BESS market overview of Europe, the Middle East and Africa is presented.•Existing Li-ion BESS use-cases are analyzed.•Key drivers enabling the implementation of Li-ion BESS projects are discussed.•Requirements and associated risk factors are evaluated.•The future relevant technological developments and market trends are assessed. Large-scale Lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are gradually playing a very relevant role within electric networks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The high energy density of Li-ion based batteries in combination with a remarkable round-trip efficiency and constant decrease in the levelized cost of storage have led to the recent boom of the technology. However, many of the potential applications of large-scale battery systems are not economically viable at this point in time. As a result, several BESS projects are being pushed by the industry towards specific niches which are based on revenue streams that can be rather complex than straightforward. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of how large-scale Li-ion BESS are currently being implemented in the EMEA region, giving an answer to the following questions: what are the main use-cases of large-scale Li-ion batteries that are being implemented? What are the key factors that are enabling the deployment of BESS projects in the present markets? How can current tendencies be extrapolated to the future outlook of Li-ion BESS implementations? The large-scale energy storage market is evolving at a very fast pace, hence this review paper intends to contribute to a better understanding of the current status of Li-ion battery systems focusing on the economic feasibility that is driving the realization of Li-ion BESS projects in the EMEA region.