Dubai Customs has officially launched its Cross Border e-Commerce platform to help the emirate become a global hub for e-commerce and encourage e-commerce companies set their businesses in Dubai.
Launched as part of Dubai Customs’ participation in the 3rd UAE Customs Week 2020, the new blockchain based project was piloted in September 2019, and comprises two phases.
The first one was the blockchain platform to facilitate e-commerce export transactions through couriers and was completed last September. The second one will facilitate e-commerce import, declaration consolidation and automated refunds, and reduce fees and charges in addition to onboarding of logistics companies on platform.
Sultan bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman and CEO and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said, “We are building today on the exceptional successes achieved by Dubai. The Cross Border e-Commerce is one of many projects that Dubai Customs have embarked on to boost the trade of the UAE and Dubai following the directives and vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, of crossing the AED2 trillion mark in Dubai external trade by 2025. I am confident this new platform will attract new direct investments into the country.”
“The platform will eliminate declaration submission time and reduce cost of e-commerce transactions and identify and certify e-commerce companies in order to serve them better. It will also provide 100 percent visibility to all stakeholders on e-commerce transactions and regulate goods return by linking trader and customs system to accept returns. The new project will also help reduce clients’ time and effort,” he added.
Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director-General of Dubai Customs, said, “We are proud to launch the Cross Border e-Commerce platform. It is one of a number of projects and plans that Dubai is working on to turn Dubai into a global hub and increase external non-oil trade following the leadership’s directives. It will also increase local e-commerce activity to AED 24 billion by 2022 and reduce cost of ecommerce transactions by 20 percent, which includes storage and shipment. The new Cross-Border e-Commerce blockchain platform will transform Dubai to a world class e-commerce hub that will benefit Dubai’s Economy and e-commerce ecosystems, and encourage e-commerce businesses to establish regional headquarters and setup distribution facilitates in Dubai in order to serve the region, and is expected to contribute AED 12 billion to the emirate’s GDP by 2023.”
The e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa grew 25 percent to make $8.3 billion (AED30.4 billion) in 2017, and it’s expected to rise to $28.5 billion by 2022, which makes the region the fastest growing region in e-commerce worldwide with 25 percent annual growth.
