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10th November 2025
ABCC hosts exclusive business roundtable with Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone Authority
The Arab British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) was delighted to host the Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone Authority (UAQ FTZ) for an exclusive business roundtable at our offices in London today (Monday 10 November 2025).
The event titled Landing in the UAE – A Practical Roadmap for SMEs, was opened by MsRita Massoud, Interim Secretary General & CEO of the ABCC, who welcomed Mr Kevin Fernandes, Head of Value Added Services – UAQ Plus. She thanked the UAQ FTZ for partnering with the ABCC on the event.
During the meeting, attendees drawn from the ABCC membership and beyond were able to participate in an engaging discussion, followed by a Q&A and networking session. The main focus was on opportunities for growth and partnership across the Arab region by using the UAQ Free Trade Zone as the base.
Mr Fernandes shared his valuable insights into the latest opportunities and looked at how UK-based enterprises can expand into the UAE and wider GCC region through the UAQ Free Trade Zone.
He encouraged UK firms to join the more than 12,000 global companies which had already chosen to do business in the free zone.
Mr Fernandes explained that Umm Al Quwain was conveniently located in the northern region of the UAE providing seamless connectivity to major emirates and transport hubs; it was only 30 minutes from Dubai International Airport and just 20 minutes from Sharjah International Airport. In terms of sea transport, UAQ FTZ was only an hour from the global Jebel Ali Port complex.
He went on to outline the main attractions of UAQ FTZ such as the range of business incentives, the ease of company setup and the flexible packages tailor-made to meet the needs of smaller and larger businesses.
Twenty-five year leases on plots of land suited for industrial units, offices, warehouses and showrooms were available, with prospects for expansion.
There were flexible options for business licenses, Mr Fernandes explained, meaning that the requirements of most companies could easily be accommodated.
The free zone played host to companies operating in a huge number of sectors such as industrial, media, education, commercial trading, services, e-commerce and retail, among others.
Finally, Mr Fernandes said the current drive to attract UK firms to the UAQ FTZ aligned with the campaign, “Make it in the Emirates” which offered an open invitation to industrialists, investors, innovators and entrepreneurs to do business in the UAE.
Ms Massoud thanked Kevin Fernandes for his detailed presentation before she opened up the discussion for questions.
His remarks had awakened considerable interest among the UK executives present who raised various questions on aspects of the ease of doing business and the growth of opportunities in the UAE.
Drawing attention to the ABCC’s 50th anniversary year, Ms Massoud stressed that the ABCC remains committed to supporting collaboration and investment between the UK and the Arab world and to bringing the latest opportunities to the attention of its members.