India No. 1 in Dubai: 73,100 Indian companies join Dubai Chamber

Mumbai: Dubai, the UAE’s financial capital, continues to be an attractive destination for Indian companies, with more than 73,000 firms registered to date as active members of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.

At the Dubai-India Business Forum in Mumbai, Ahmad Bin Byat, Vice-Chairman of Dubai Chambers, noted that India has always been one of Dubai’s top trading partners.

“The value of non-oil trade between our markets amounted to $190 billion in the five years from 2019 to 2023, with growth of 23.7 per cent during this period, underlining our robust and expanding trade connections,” Byat said in his opening address of the forum, attended by industry leaders from Dubai and India.
In non-oil trading with Dubai, India ranks as the second-largest partner with $27 billion worth of imports from India and $19 billion in exports in 2023, making it $46 billion in overall trade figures.
In a candid chat with Gulf News, Byat said that the forum will further help Indian and UAE companies find ways to collaborate.

“When you do business with Dubai, you don’t just do business with Dubai – you do business with the world out of Dubai.”
Beyond trade figures, Byat underlined the role of Indian businesses in Dubai’s success cannot be overstated.
“By the end of 2024, more than 70,600 Indian companies were registered as active members of Dubai Chamber of Commerce, making them the largest foreign community within our ecosystem. A total of 16,623 new companies from India joined the chamber last year, reflecting the continuing strong interest in doing business in Dubai among Indian entrepreneurs.”

In a presentation during another session, it was revealed that, to date, as many as 73,114 Indian companies have joined the Chamber, with more than half – 36,595 – active in trading and services, followed by 17,631 in real estate and business services, and 12,281 in construction. The growth in the number of Indian companies from 2015 (25,795) to 2024 (70,600) has been pegged at an impressive 173.7 per cent.

“At Dubai Chambers, we are committed to supporting Indian businesses on every step of their growth journeys. Our representative office in Mumbai was established in 2018 and plays a vital role in helping companies and investors to enter Dubai, navigate regulations, and build strategic connections. This forms part of our growing network of 33 offices across the globe, which stand ready to assist Indian businesses as they scale into key markets worldwide.”
Looking ahead, Byat underlined that innovation and technology will be at the heart of our future collaboration.

“Both Dubai and India are investing heavily in AI, fintech, logistics, clean energy, and digital transformation. The synergies between our economies in these high-growth sectors offer tremendous opportunities for partnership, innovation, and the development of future-ready ecosystems primed for sustainable growth,” Byat added.