Dubai DED reports rise in new licences in 2018

The Department of Economic Development reported a 4.6 per cent increase in new licences in 2018 over the previous year, with 20,467 new licences issued. Overall, 248,769 business registration and licensing transactions were recorded in the Business Map digital platform of DED in 2018 with 77.8 per cent of licencees new business owners and 22.2 per cent women licencees as well. As economic diversification continued to gather pace in 2018, all major economic sectors saw demand for varied BRL services. Among the new licences 63.2 per cent were commercial, 34.5 per cent professional and 1.1 per cent were related to tourism. Among the main regions, Bur Dubai had the highest share of new licences at 11,435, Deira had 8,985 and Hatta, 47.