Dubai – Mubasher: UK firms registered the highest number of foreign branches operating in Dubai with 28% of the total foreign influx, according to a new report.

Foreign companies’ branches rose to 1,985 in Dubai, while the number of branches of GCC-based firms registered 833, a report issued by the Business Registration & Licensing (BRL) sector of the Department of Economic Development (DED) showed.

Meanwhile, Indian and US companies accounted for 13.9% and 12.2% of Dubai’s foreign firms, respectively.

Kuwaiti companies topped other GCC firms in the emirate with 63.3%, followed by Saudi Arabian and Bahraini companies which made up 23.3% and 19.1%, respectively.  

“These figures reflect the attractiveness of the emirate globally as well as regionally, as it provides a business-friendly environment supported by a modern and integrated system that saves the time and effort of the business community,” BRL’s business registration division director Walid Abdel Malik said.

In terms of distribution of economic activities, representative offices came first, followed by management studies and consulting, architectural engineering consulting, building construction engineering services, and marketing consultancy and studies

The report also noted that restaurants ranked first in terms of distribution of economic activities among GCC firms’ branches, followed by shops for perfumes and cosmetics, shoes, handbags and leather products, and watches.