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DUBAI / WAM
Dubai Trade, the leading trade facilitation hub in the UAE, has crossed 300 million transactions since the platform was established in 2003, eliminating approximately 617 million printed documents and saving 25,400 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions. The achievement comes on the back of a record-setting year in 2023, with Dubai Trade registering 32.6 million transactions compared to 26 million the year before, representing a 25 percent increase. Out of these, 48 percent of the transactions were related to clearance and border controls, with 44 percent falling under cargo handling and logistics.
Dubai Trade, the digital arm of DP World in the GCC region, has consistently demonstrated robust growth since it was formed, with an average 8 percent year-on-year increase in annual digital transactions since 2003. Dubai Trade facilitates nearly 90,000 transactions daily.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said, “Dubai Trade’s remarkable growth since 2003 reflects our strategic focus on improving the flow of trade through digitalisation, which is aligned with Dubai’s Economic Agenda D33.”
“By integrating key stakeholders and driving trade activity through our single window platform, we have significantly enhanced trade efficiencies, contributing to Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade target and supporting sustainability objectives at the same time.”
Mohamed AbuHamra, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Technology, DP World GCC, said, “We are thrilled to pass the 300 million transactions mark, which is a testament to the pivotal role Dubai Trade has played in supporting economic activity and digitalising the trade and logistics industry in Dubai over the past two decades. Our ongoing investment in digital infrastructure and smart solutions is geared towards making cross-border trade in Dubai seamless, faster and more accessible and we look forward to even more success as we continue to transform our single window platform.”
Dubai Trade was created to bring together various trade and logistics service providers under one digital platform. Today, it boasts a user base of over 180,000 traders and a comprehensive digital ecosystem offering more than 700 digital solutions, including customs clearance, government permits, port clearance certificates, company licensing, and free zone administrative services.
In 2023 alone, 22,420 new customers registered on the platform in 2023, marking an increase of 17 percent in the number of new registrations in 2022. Also, the digital platform’s payment system, Rosoom, saw a 32 percent increase in transactions, reaching 3.3 million in 2023 compared to 2.5 million in 2022. The total value of these payments grew by 40 percent to more than AED 2 billion.