UAE – Mubasher: The number of American firms’ foreign branches operating in the UAE increased by 6% during the period from 2016 to 2018, reinforcing the country’s position as a regional hub for trade and economic activities, Emirates News Agency (WAM) recently reported.

The number of US companies rose to 286 branches by the end of 2018 from 270 branches in 2016, statistics from the Ministry of Economy showed.

In a way to promote the UAE's business investment environment, the Emirati government in 2018 allowed 100% foreign ownership by global investors in designated sectors within the UAE. Moreover, the economy ministry set up a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Unit to facilitate investment.

In 2018, FDI inflows decreased to $10.385 billion when compared to $10.354 billion a year earlier. The country’s FDI stocks reached $140.319 billion in 2018, representing 33% of the UAE's gross domestic product, according to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) 2019 World Investment Report.

It is worthy to mention that the report deemed the UAE among the top ten most important sources of FDI during the period from 2019 to 2021.