UAE - Mubasher: Abu Dhabi recorded a 21.5% year-on-year (YoY) increase in new economic licenses to 25,427 in 2021 from 20,925, according to a report published by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED).
The number of licenses for the professional; agricultural, livestock, and fishery; as well as tourism sectors reached 711, 64, and 126, respectively.
Abu Dhabi issued 273 new licenses for foreign investors and 1,749 freelance licenses last year.
Meanwhile, the emirate saw 83,484 renewed economic licenses in 2021, up 15.8% from 72,070 in 2020.
The Undersecretary of ADDED, Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, said: "The economic landscape in Abu Dhabi has been crafted to offer businesses and entrepreneurs a compelling proposition, something made possible by our evolved and digitalised infrastructure."
Al Blooshi added: "Initiatives such as the Investor Journey programme which was responsible for driving a 71% reduction in business set-up requirements in coordination with 26 local and federal government entities, and the lowering of ADDED setup and renewal fees by 90%, have facilitated ease of doing business for investors and entrepreneurs."
