Inside the UAE’s SME strategy

In this episode of Business Extra, Abdulla bin Touq, Minister of Economy and Tourism, joins host Salim Essaid to discuss how the country is positioning itself as the global capital for start-ups and small and medium enterprises. Mr bin Touq explains how new economic reforms, ownership laws and innovation frameworks have reshaped the business landscape, doubling the number of registered companies in just five years to more than 1.3 million. The conversation explores the government’s newly launched cluster-economy strategy, focusing on five priority sectors: food and food processing, financial services, tourism, data and analytics, and space. The minister also highlights the UAE’s growing circular economy, the role of artificial intelligence across industries and the policies designed to boost competitiveness and innovation protection. The conversation also examines how the UAE aims to balance rapid growth with resilience and sustainability while targeting two million registered companies within the next five years.