Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) welcomed 1,839 new companies in the first quarter of 2023, representing 122 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2022.
RAKEZ also drew in new investors from around the world with a significant proportion from India, Pakistan, UK, Russia and Egypt..
With a majority of the new set-ups being commercial and general trading companies at 41 per cent, the economic zone has strengthened its position as a hub for traders who prefer Ras Al Khaimah’s business environment. In addition to the surge in trading companies, RAKEZ also recorded growth in other sectors such as services, e-commerce, and media companies.
RAKEZ also witnessed a significant growth of 107 per cent in the set-up of industrial companies compared to Q1 of 2022. A majority of those companies fall under various industrial activities including vegetable oils refining and manufacturing, poultry products production, wet cell batteries manufacturing, and packaging materials manufacturing, among others.
RAKEZ Group CEO Ramy Jallad said they remain committed to positioning the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah "as a nurturing hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. We will continue to enhance our services, facilities and products to meet evolving business needs, and further empower companies to achieve their full potential.”
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index was set to confirm it was in a bear market on Friday, down more than 20 per cent from a recent record high, as investors fled riskier assets on fears that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump could spark a trade war and tip the global economy into recession.
UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, alongside their partners in the Pearl Petroleum consortium, have said the cumulative production from their Khor Mor project, the largest non-associated gas field in Iraq, has exceeded 500 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
China has announced a slew of additional tariffs and restrictions against US goods as a countermeasure to sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The Finance Ministry said it would impose additional tariffs of 34 per cent on all US goods from April 10.
Stocks limped to the end of the week on Friday, the dollar was set for its worst week in a month while gold flirted with a record peak as investors feared US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs would tip the global economy into a recession.
US stock index futures tumbled on Thursday after President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on major trade partners heightened fears of an all-out trade war that could push the global economy into a recession.