Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under Dubai Chambers, has welcomed a large delegation of senior business executives from Palestine together with 21 start-up representatives for the first-ever business matching meeting between Dubai and Palestine.
The trade mission from Palestine had one of the highest numbers of bilateral meetings, with a total of 237 meetings organized and an average of ten per delegate.
Participants at the event included Mr. Hashim Shawa, Chairman of Bank of Palestine Group; Ms. Linda Tarzi, Board Member at Bank of Palestine Group, Mr. Kamel Husseini, Chief Strategic Relations & Engagements Officer of Bank of Palestine; and Mr. Rateb Rabi, Chief Executive Officer of Intersect Innovation Hub (IIH).
The guests headed a delegation featuring representatives from 21 Palestinian start-ups, who were keen to visit Dubai to learn more about the Middle East’s most vibrant digital economy. The event provided valuable insights on how to set up a digital-first business in Dubai, as well as creating opportunities to explore trade deals with like-minded Dubai companies and discover the benefits of Dubai’s world-class investment environment.
Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President & CEO of Dubai Chambers, said: “Today’s event underlines our commitment as a chamber to not only attract and encourage foreign start-ups to trade with our members and companies in Dubai, but also to enable them to understand what attracts international players to our city. We have a mandate – backed by several government strategies including the Digital Economy Strategy, the Metaverse Strategy, and the D33 Economic Agenda – to help international start-ups gain a foothold in Dubai and enjoy all the benefits of a truly 21st century economy.”
Lootah also reaffirmed Dubai’s commitment to finding and supporting 30 unicorn start-ups – young companies valued at more than $1 billion – by 2033, highlighting that the city’s 20-year-old startup ecosystem has given rise to half a dozen unicorns to date.
The meeting took place at Dubai Chambers’ headquarters and featured a presentation from Hashim Shawa, who provided an overview of the Bank of Palestine Group. Mr. Shawa expressed his satisfaction with the bank’s partnership with Dubai Chambers and emphasized the strong interest among startups in Palestine to expand into the region. He stated that Dubai is the natural platform for these companies as they launch their operations in the region and the wider world, particularly for the Palestinian youth who possess advanced capabilities and a strong spirit of creativity.
This was followed by an open discussion, during which the Palestinian start-ups had the opportunity to have their questions on a variety of topics answered.
The visiting delegation included start-ups across a wide variety of sectors including transportation services, education, construction, engineering & real estate, energy, software solutions, e-commerce & retailers, ERP solutions, AI & financial solutions, and farming & agriculture.
Delegates also learned more about Dubai’s extremely favourable business environment, from investment to ease of set-up and living. Dubai Chambers underlined the UAE economy’s continuing success in bucking global economic trends, with most analysts agreeing on a forecast of 3-4% growth in national GDP this year.
