Dubai Welcomes 216 Filipino Businesses in the First Quarter of 2025, Boosting Economic Ties

Dubai Welcomes 216 Filipino Businesses in the First Quarter of 2025, Boosting Economic Ties

Dubai's commercial landscape is experiencing a significant transformation, with a staggering 216 newly-established Filipino businesses joining the Dubai Chamber of Commerce during the first quarter of 2025. This surge builds on the 800 new Filipino companies registered in 2024, marking an impressive 18% year-on-year increase.

The revelation was made by Salem Al Shamsi, the Vice President of International Relations at Dubai Chambers, during a trade mission to Manila from May 25 to 27. Al Shamsi attributed this growth to growing confidence in Dubai's business environment and its standing as a global investment hub.

Direct investments from Dubai to the Philippines accounted for US$193 million between 2021 and 2024, while Filipino investments in Dubai reached around US$35 million over the same period, indicating a robust economic engagement between the two countries.

The mission was part of Dubai Chambers' "New Horizons" initiative and brought together 17 Emirati companies from sectors such as agriculture, technology, industrial security, and manufacturing. The objective was to explore fresh opportunities and strengthen trade ties with the Philippine market.

Effective B2B meetings played a vital role in fostering connections, with Al Shamsi emphasizing their importance in forging partnerships and guaranteeing tangible results. He cited the Philippines' strategic location, youthful population, and economic diversification as key factors drawing Emirati businesses. Moreover, the growing demand for Dubai's high-quality goods and services in the Philippines provides a gateway to Southeast Asian markets.

Al Shamsi reiterated Dubai Chambers' commitment to aiding local businesses in expanding globally. The expansion of Filipino businesses in Dubai contributes to economic growth in both countries, stimulates cultural exchange, and offers market expansion opportunities. Key sectors with potential for growth include tourism, agri-industry, telecommunications, logistics, and healthcare.

With promising prospects, further investments from UAE sovereign wealth funds into the Philippines could bolster economic ties, while infrastructure development will be necessitated to support the growth of Filipino businesses in Dubai.

1. The surge in Filipino businesses in Dubai, as Al Shamsi explained, is due to growing confidence in Dubai's business environment and its role as a global investment hub, attracting investments worth US$193 million from Dubai to the Philippines.
2. The trade mission to Manila highlighted the importance of fostering connections through effective B2B meetings, aiming to forge partnerships and guarantee tangible results, bolstered by the Philippines' strategic location, youthful population, and economic diversification.
3. The objective of the mission, part of Dubai Chambers' "New Horizons" initiative, was to explore fresh opportunities and strengthen trade ties with the Philippine market, as well as to draw Emirati businesses due to the growing demand for Dubai's high-quality goods and services in the Philippines, providing a gateway to Southeast Asian markets.
4. Al Shamsi also emphasized that the expansion of Filipino businesses in Dubai contributes to economic growth in both countries, stimulates cultural exchange, and offers market expansion opportunities, particularly in sectors like tourism, agri-industry, telecommunications, logistics, and healthcare.
5. With promising prospects and the potential for further investments from UAE sovereign wealth funds into the Philippines, infrastructure development will be crucial to support the growth of Filipino businesses in Dubai, bolstering economic ties between the two countries.

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