Abu Dhabi sets sights on global benchmark for speed of doing business

Abu Dhabi is working to set a new global standard for business competitiveness, making the time from an investment decision to actual operations a key measure of the investor journey. This approach focuses on simplifying requirements, accelerating approvals, and strengthening coordination across government entities and the services businesses need to establish and operate.

Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), affirmed that accelerating business establishment and operation is central to strengthening the emirate’s competitiveness and investment appeal. He emphasised that speed must go hand in hand with clear, accessible and predictable procedures.

He explained that speed extends beyond shortening the processing time of a government transaction. It encompasses the entire investor journey, from the decision to invest to the start of actual operations, through simpler procedures, clearer requirements and the removal of unnecessary steps.

This approach places a fundamental question at the heart of business competitiveness: How long does it take for a company to become operational? Abu Dhabi aims to deliver an integrated experience that gives investors clarity at every stage, enabling them to plan confidently and launch faster.

 Abu Dhabi is building on sustained reforms to its business ecosystem. In 2021, a joint government effort involving more than 20 entities reduced requirements for establishing new commercial activities by 71%, through reviewing procedures, removing duplicate requirements and improving processes.

In the same year, ADDED, in collaboration with the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (formerly the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority), launched the Investor Journey through the TAMM platform, bringing government transactions and approvals together within a single digital process. The ecosystem subsequently expanded to include services from banks, telecommunications providers and insurers.

The next phase focuses on connecting all operational requirements more closely, including approvals, permits, premises preparation, utility connections, and financial and other operating requirements. The aim is for coordination across entities to translate directly into less time for companies to begin operating.

Al Zaabi stressed that a competitive economic environment depends on coordinated efforts across government, businesses, investors and institutions, noting that “no single entity can provide this environment on its own.”

New government initiatives reflect this approach. On the opening day of LIVEX, on 29 September, the Department of Municipalities and Transport launched the Government Asset Investment service through TAMM. The service enables investors to access opportunities involving government land and assets, and complete the investment process from expressions of interest and bid submissions to award and contracting using standardised templates.

In trade, the share of pre-arrival customs clearance transactions rose from 47% in 2023 to 72% in 2024, reaching 89% in the first half of 2026. Transactions completed through direct system integration also grew by 23.5% year on year, demonstrating the role of digital integration in accelerating trade flows.

This direction comes amid intensifying global competition for investment, with the speed of starting operations and the clarity of procedures increasingly influencing where companies choose to grow and expand.

Abu Dhabi’s approach is supported by a growing economic base. Non-oil activities accounted for 54.7% of the emirate’s gross domestic product in 2024, according to Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi. New economic licences increased by 21% in the first quarter of 2026, following growth of 29% in 2025, according to the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority.

Al Zaabi said: “Behind every new licence is a decision made by an entrepreneur, an investor or a family to build their future here.”

By combining regulatory reform, digital integration and coordinated services, Abu Dhabi is working to translate this momentum into businesses that launch, operate and grow faster, reinforcing its position as a global benchmark for an efficient investor journey.

The ambition is for Abu Dhabi to become the benchmark against which the world measures the speed of moving from an investment decision to actual business operations.