The Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy has formally launched a new platform aimed at attracting and supporting digital-focused start-ups as the emirate pushes forth with its aim to become a digital economy powerhouse.
The Business in Dubai programme, which was first announced in June, is being positioned as a one-stop shop that will bridge gaps faced by start-ups in terms of access to funding, workspaces and other opportunities for growth.
The programme also aims to enable them to boost their contribution to Dubai's economy, in partnership with private and government organisations.
The initiative brings together seven new partners – the Dubai World Trade Centre, telecom operator du, Dubai Islamic Bank, Mashreq, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Tecom Group's start-up incubator in5 and workspace platform Letswork.
Their participation was formalised with a preliminary agreement, signed by their top executives at the event on Monday.
The new partners join telecoms operator e& – formerly known as Etisalat – Dubai CommerCity and digital payments platforms Telr and Safexpay, who had signed on in June.
The Business in Dubai programme focuses on two fundamental pillars – a business-matching service that will connect companies with partners, investors and customers, and a comprehensive range of institutional services delivered in co-operation with the Dubai Chamber’s partners.
It will also include incentives to attract more local and international digital start-ups to operate in the emirate.
Digital-focused companies are "extremely important ... so we try to provide what they require. We know Dubai supports people in a good way, but it's the businesses that require certain supports", Ahmad bin Byat, vice chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, told reporters at the event.
Partner banks of the initiative will set up dedicated teams to assist start-ups, he said.
"It won't be just cost effective – it's also more efficient. Instead of these companies going to different places, they can access this platform and get the services, with our team also available to help."
The initiative comes as part of the Dubai Chamber’s drive to create a business environment that enables digital companies to thrive and contribute to the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, or D33.
300 digital start-ups
Last year the UAE government announced its Digital Economy Strategy with the goal of increasing the contribution of the sector to the GDP by 20 per cent over the next 10 years, up from 9.7 per cent in 2022, as it seeks to leverage cutting-edge technologies and attract high-skilled talent.
The new initiative is also a step towards Dubai's target of attracting 300 digital start-ups to the emirate by 2024 and boosting its non-oil GDP.
The Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy attracted 69 digital start-ups during the first quarter of 2023.
Business in Dubai "not only unites our strengths but also fortifies the business landscape, empowering more companies to achieve global growth by starting or scaling up from Dubai", said Majed Al Suwaidi, senior vice president of Dubai Media City, part of Tecom Group.
Developing start-ups’ contribution to the economy will help achieve the target of doubling the UAE's gross domestic product by 2031, Abdulla bin Touq, UAE's Minister of Economy, said this month.
Last year, the Ministry of Economy unveiled its updated Entrepreneurial Nation programme, which seeks to develop more than 8,000 SMEs and start-ups by 2030.
The Emirates also aims to be home to 20 unicorns – start-ups with a valuation of $1 billion and above – by 2031, double the number initially planned.
In December, the UAE launched Future 100, a programme aimed at supporting and honouring the top 100 start-ups that are expected to have a significant impact on the country's economy.
The Dubai Chamber is also organising the Expand North Star summit at this month's Gitex Global technology conference, which is dedicated to connecting start-ups with investors.
The summit will be held in Dubai from October 15 to 18 alongside Gitex Global and is expected to attract more than 1,400 exhibitors and 1,000 investors. It could be a "record breaker" for Dubai, Mr bin Byat said.
"Dubai is becoming very attractive for such talent because these businesses require a specific type of talent from around the world. We see people moving from East and West to Dubai – a lot of young, talented individuals – and they start their company here," he added.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
SPECS
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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EPL's youngest
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15 years, 181 days old
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15 years, 235 days old
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15 years, 271 days old
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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
The%20specs
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South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
