Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has recently organized a workshop for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to showcase innovative trade channels that e-commerce businesses can adopt to enhance their competitive advantage locally and internationally.
The workshop brought together over 100 business owners and traders (B2B commerce leaders) from across the UAE. Entitled “Introducing your business to the world of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce,” it provided business owners with new ideas on how B2B e-Commerce can contribute to growing their businesses, facilitate their trade and reduce their supply chain costs.
Dr. Belaid Rettab, Senior Director, Economic Research & Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber, stated that as B2B online commerce remains underdeveloped in the region, Dubai Chamber in line with its mission to support the emirate’s business community, is dedicated to providing members with a good understanding of the needs and functions of e-commerce, particularly the growth potential of B2B commerce, which corresponds to Dubai’s Smart City and Dubai Plan 2021 initiatives.
“We call upon Dubai businesses to develop their strategies for this growing market in order to increase their profits and take advantage of rising export opportunities,” said Dr. Rettab.
“e-commerce is changing the way businesses are trading in the UAE and around the world,” said Mahdi Kilani, Head of ADIB Business. “It is now imperative for businesses to have some sort of online presence either to trade or to market their products. This workshop is one of a series of forums that we organize for our customers to share best practice and latest financial products and services that ADIB can offer to facilitate and amplify their trade and business activities.”
“At ADIB, we continuously invest in the latest technologies and platforms to offer our customers the best solutions that match their local and international business activities,” Kilani added.
The workshop included speakers from ADIB and Dubai Chamber. In their discussion, Dubai Chamber introduced a new digital B2B platform called Mega Sourcing 2020, exclusively built for MENA traders to foster trust and long-term relationships with overseas partners, and to connect pre-screened buyers and suppliers sourcing for items. On the another hand, Haytham Elmaayergi, Global Head of Transaction Banking at ADIB, shed light on the importance of trading through electronic channels in the emerging digital era, and the UAE’s significant leadership position in e-commerce across the region.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank is a leading financial institution in the UAE with one of the largest distribution channels. The bank operates a network of 88 branches and more than 760 ATMs and CDMs serving all business segments in the UAE with their various needs.