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Dubai is a global hotspot for innovation and growth, attracting the best talent and forward-thinkers. Dubai stands as the world's foremost hyper-connected, pro-business hub, seamlessly uniting east and west. 

This vibrant city offers unparalleled access to the most dynamic economies, ensuring accelerated growth within a secure, future-forward network ecosystem. Dubai is where the future happens.

Dubai - your partner for accelerated growth

Fast growth market

The Dubai Economic Agenda 2033 (D33) aims to double the emirate’s economy in the next decade, fostering competitiveness, diversification and sustainability, and positioning Dubai as one of the top three cities across various parameters. It will attract global talent and investment, establishing Dubai as a leading destination for digital economy ventures. Priorities will include innovation, AI and technology, alongside efforts to diversify trade routes by creating Future Economic Corridors with emerging markets.

Additionally, the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network (EICN) projects that the combined economies of the Middle East and Africa will expand by nearly 25% by 2027. By comparison, Europe and the US will grow by half that rate over the same period. Dubai is on the fast track to unmatched growth, thanks to D33, and strives to be the world’s fastest, safest and most connected city. It offers the best business environment for domestic and international investments and companies. Dubai aims to be a global leader in the digital sector by positioning itself as a hub for a sustainable, diverse, and productive economy.

Future looking

Dubai's vision for the future is to strengthen its position as a strategic priority for global business leaders. It remains committed to maintaining a leading edge in economic innovation and international investment. The city offers unmatched opportunities in the global economic arena. This positions Dubai as an indispensable destination for emerging businesses, investment and talent as well as an expansion nexus for global corporations.

Strategic location

Dubai is strategically positioned to bridge the East-West time zone gap, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of business around the clock. It is also an unrivalled trade and logistics hub, being the home of Emirates Airline, the world’s largest operator of wide-body jets, as well as DP World, a global supply chain solutions provider with presence in over six continents. Join the game-changers who've made Dubai their launchpad to success and position yourself at the global crossroads of innovation and opportunity.

Dubai: unleashing your business potential 

With a thriving business ecosystem, Dubai welcomed more than 30,000 new businesses between January and June 2023 alone, a testament to the city’s enduring appeal, robust infrastructure and vibrant economic prospects.

Home to over 90% of the UAE’s scale-ups, this city means business. This makes Dubai the top pick for forward thinkers and leaders who seek to harness unrivalled business opportunities, supported by a diverse talent pool that fuels this economic engine. 

Dubai: connecting the world through trade

Positioned at the nexus of the east and west, Dubai's success story is anchored in its prime geographical location and its stable economy. Its trade network is unmatched; the hyper-connected city acts as a nerve centre for billions of dollars of business and investment into the MENA region, Europe, Africa, Asia and beyond – connecting people and businesses from across the world. 

Dubai has directed forward-looking investments to build one of the largest networks of port facilities and logistics solutions, the world's busiest airport, and hyper-modern roads and transportation network. This, together with world-class digital infrastructure, is instrumental in keeping the world moving.

The city aims to be among the top five global logistics hubs across connectivity, services and operations while focusing on key pillars such as advancing foreign trade corridors, signing trade agreements and boosting global trade management through purpose-built supply chain solutions across sea, air and land.

Global financial hub

As part of D33, Dubai’s ten-year economic transformation agenda, the city has ambitions to be among the top four global financial centres in the world. The plan focuses on growing the city’s already robust traditional financial services infrastructure and ecosystem while also boosting new-economy sectors like virtual assets and crypto with a priority for fintech.

This is evidenced by the wide array of homegrown fintech success stories, and more recently, global virtual assets companies that have chosen Dubai to be their home. Dubai’s unmatched potential allows both well-established business leaders and emerging innovators an unrivalled stage to showcase their brilliance.

Expanding your investment horizons

In the last few years, Dubai has taken a leadership role in digital assets regulation and made great strides. A key milestone was the launch of the world’s first independent virtual assets regulator, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). Dubai has also announced several programmes like Sandbox Dubai to boost innovation through the testing and marketing of new products and technologies. 

The city is home to the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a world-class ecosystem for fostering fintech innovation. The DIFC Fintech Hive has been instrumental in launching several stories, such as Mamo, Beehive and Sarwa.

With its progressive regulatory environment, ease of doing business and access to capital through accelerators and funds, Dubai continues to attract some of the world's fastest-growing and most innovative fintech companies, including hedge funds, family offices and asset management firms.

 

Ease of doing business 

Dubai is a global economic powerhouse, ranking first in the region and 14th globally on the Innovation Cities Index. It offers an endless array of opportunities for businesses across industries and sectors to expand and grow. Everything about the city’s business ecosystem is specifically designed to not just nurture, but actively encourage entrepreneurship and innovation. A vast network of free zones, unrivalled access to venture capital and private equity funding, and an attractive visa and tax regime combine to enable strong, sustainable economic growth for businesses of all sizes. 

Unlocking business success with economic zones

Dubai’s future-forward strategy empowers its business districts to become leading global engines for innovation and investment. With diversification at the heart of its ongoing vision, Dubai offers a wide range of options for incorporating a business.

As an ever-more desirable location to live and work, Dubai has developed both free zone and mainland solutions. Each is designed to suit specific industries, budgets and day-to-day activities, with onshore, offshore and dual licence options available. These factors render Dubai an attractive choice for your business presence while providing a strategic launchpad for regional and international growth.

Enabling environment 

The government’s business-forward outlook and low-risk environment make Dubai an excellent place to invest or start a business. Dubai offers unique business opportunities due to its favourable tax regime, legal and regulatory framework, legislative autonomy and competitive market fundamentals.

Dubai’s business districts have been designed to provide an efficient and supportive platform, offering 100% foreign ownership, tax free policies, full repatriation of profits, low-cost set-up and renewal structures. They are built around dedicated sectors for segmented industries and their specific requirements – including media and design, biotech and healthcare or export and re-export.

Long-term vision

Dubai is a beacon for innovation with its pro-business government and ambitious initiatives like D33 (Dubai Economic Agenda), aimed at doubling the city’s economy in the next decade. It provides a solid economic backbone, advanced infrastructure and progressive policies designed to stimulate growth.

The city’s business agenda focuses on key industries like biotech, education, healthcare, tourism, finance, logistics, manufacturing and space. Strategic investments and incentives support companies poised for rapid expansion, while an emphasis on digital transformation and technology adoption encourages innovation across sectors.

Ushering in a more resilient future

Dubai has carefully crafted strategies to ensure balanced growth across multiple fronts, with clear plans to guide the city’s trajectory over the next three, five, 10 and even 100 years. 
It also remains committed to elevating the standard of living by fostering short- and long-term happiness for residents and visitors alike. These goals for continuous development are outlined in the Dubai Urban Plan 2040, which aspires to make Dubai the world's ultimate destination for living and working.

Investing in a digital-first future

Under the D33 strategy, Dubai has created a scale-up programme for 30 companies to become global unicorns in new economic sectors within 10 years. These initiatives are set to add US$27.2 billion (AED100 billion) to the local digital economy annually. As the city rapidly evolves to be the global epicentre for innovation, specially launched projects like Sandbox Dubai will helm the testing and commercialisation of tomorrow’s technologies.

Continuing as a major attractor for leading Web3 and AI companies, the Dubai Metaverse Strategy aims to support more than 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030 – placing Dubai among the top ten international metaverse economies. It is also the world’s first city to establish an independent regulator for virtual assets – the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).

Innovative business ecosystem

Dubai has produced a majority of the region’s unicorns, including Careem, Kitopi and Emerging Markets Property Group (EMPG), in just under two decades. The city's success story is rooted in its world-class infrastructure, robust business support, and dynamic incubator and accelerator programmes. These are reinforced by forward-thinking initiatives and legislation crafted to empower innovators to launch, grow and scale their companies.

Aside from homegrown start-ups, countless more have moved their global headquarters here. Unicorn-valuated players like Swvl (est. 2017), Telegram (est. 2013) and Binance (est. 2017) illustrate the pull-factor of the city’s digital ecosystem.

Global hub for the digital economy

Dubai plays a pivotal role in moving the UAE’s digital economy forward by embracing and pioneering innovative concepts and technologies – including the metaverse, Web3, blockchain, AI and digital assets. Its smart city solutions, high internet and smartphone penetration, and an agile government increasingly make the city a preferred tech haven on the world stage. New incentives like long-term residency for investors and entrepreneurs, and remote work visas, further cement Dubai’s value proposition for digital enterprises and start-ups.

Favourable business climate and international relevance

A melting pot of cultures, Dubai offers the ease of doing business in English. Other incomparable benefits include zero income tax, strong access to capital, supportive government services and a mindset that fosters digital enterprise. These, along with the high quality of life, help attract and retain top talent to the city.

As Dubai sets its sights on becoming the leading hub for digital economy, it also aims to be among the top 10 metaverse and cryptocurrency economies in the world. The notion is not a distant one – the city has already been crowned the blockchain capital, given the government’s active integration with the platform across its operations.

Access to top talent

Relative to its size, the UAE has the greatest influx of talent in the world – with 85% of the population comprising expatriates from more than 200 countries. Leading on several metrics related to workforce gender parity, it also offers a welcoming environment for women seeking to explore opportunities and establish themselves professionally.

Dubai consistently ranks among the world’s top cities with outstanding talent. It hosts offices of major multinationals and thousands of start-ups and SMEs, who all enjoy the availability of a qualified workforce. Businesses can tap into a rich pool of international expertise and diverse experiences, contributing to a culture of creativity and innovation. 

Nurturing talent with a focus on education and upskilling

Dubai’s reputation as one of the best destinations to live and work has been forged by providing professionals with unrivalled career opportunities in one of the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities on the planet. Its special visa programmes for students and qualified individuals – ranging from artists and creatives to coders – have been immensely successful in attracting top talent to the city. These include the 10-year Golden Visa for investors, entrepreneurs, highly skilled professionals and gifted students, and the one-year Remote Work visa. 

Vying for talent also means that average salaries and employment packages are extremely competitive. Incentives like zero income tax, mandatory complimentary health insurance and end-of-service gratuity make Dubai more attractive than other major talent hubs worldwide.

Cosmopolitan lifestyle

Often called the world’s most cosmopolitan city, more than 85% of Dubai’s population hails from over 200 countries. The city consistently leads the region on key indicators like quality of life, safety, cleanliness, ease of settling in and level of infrastructure. 

Renowned for its futuristic cityscape, high-quality public transport and an endless array of fine dining, hospitality, adventure and entertainment options, Dubai gives tourists and residents alike a lifestyle experience like no other. 

Adding to the appeal is Dubai’s active stance on improving its offerings. More than 130 initiatives under the Digital Dubai strategy accelerate the city’s smart transformation. Showcasing its commitment to sustainability, the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 aims to increase the share of clean energy to 29% and reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030.

Dubai: a melting pot of cultures

For decades, Dubai has welcomed people from all corners of the globe, giving a truly international flavour to its attractions and lifestyle options. This is reflected in everything from traditional souks to high-end shopping malls, from local eateries to 14 Michelin-starred restaurants (in 2023).

Traditional Arabian influences meet modern architectural designs, giving rise to vibrant neighbourhoods boasting a unique identity. Residents can choose from a plethora of world-class communities, including upscale Palm Jumeirah, historic Al Fahidi, urban Business Bay and Dubai Marina, and luxurious gated communities in Emirates Hills, The Springs and Al Barari.

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