DUBAI — In line with the rapid growth of Dubai's economy, recent statistics released by Dubai Trade, the online gateway for trade and logistics services in Dubai, showed promising growth figures in the first half of 2015, as compared to the same period last year. The first half of 2015 witnessed 12.5% growth in new companies registered with Dubai Trade with 9,317 new companies on board. This led to an 8.7% growth in the number of transactions to 9.7 million. The increase in the number of new companies and online transactions was a result of Dubai Trade's strategic goal to become a single window for trade in Dubai and to escalate customer adoption, by offering a streamlined trade facilitation process. Similarly, Rosoom, the secure online payment gateway of Dubai Trade, recorded in the first six months of 2015, an increase of 29.2% in the total collections. This surpassed AED570 million drawn from over half million online payment transactions using multiple payment methods including Credit Cards, E-Dirham and Direct Debit. Commenting on Dubai Trade's performance during the first half of the year, Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Dubai Trade Chairman, said: “We are pleased with the enhanced growth figures across all segments. Dubai Trade is committed to the adoption of innovative solutions and high standards in line with 2015 being the year of innovation as declared by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The Dubai Trade team is always keen on employing the latest technologies and novel processes for ease of doing business with us.” Eng. Mahmood Al Bastaki, CEO of Dubai Trade, said: “We always keep our eye on customers whenever we plan to enhance or introduce any service and prioritize delivering know-how and business experience through our Training Centre. We have recently initiated an internal ‘Innovation and Idea Hub' for staff to share thoughts and ideas on how to reach our strategic goals. I'm proud to say that Dubai Trade is a role model and will hopefully expand its footprint by replicating this concept globally.” Assisting its growth and transaction figures was Dubai Trade's recently launched Certified Customs Broker (CCB) program, a professional course for the trade and logistics community to enable a more comprehensive understanding of customs laws and regulations. Additionally, a “Customs Declaration Assistant” service was introduced to help users select accurate declarations of their daily shipments. At the same time, a new cargo booking service that provides freight forwarders and exporters enhanced cargo booking capabilities for sea shipments was revealed. It allows easy integration of Freight Forwarders/Exporters systems with the Shipping Lines system enabling them to request, amend or cancel a booking without the need to login to multiple platforms. — SG
