Dubai, UAE – A delegation of Palestinian business executives including 21 start-up representatives visited Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy.
It is the first-ever business meeting between Dubai and Palestine, with the delegation involved in 237 meetings, one of the highest ever.
Participants at the event included Hashim Shawa, Chairman of Bank of Palestine Group; Linda Tarzi, Board Member at Bank of Palestine Group, Kamel Husseini, Chief Strategic Relations & Engagements Officer of Bank of Palestine; and Rateb Rabi, Chief Executive Officer of Intersect Innovation Hub (IIH).
The event included demonstration of key steps to set up a digital-first business in Dubai, and trade opportunities with Dubai companies.
Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President & CEO of Dubai Chambers, said, “Today’s event underlines our commitment as a chamber to not only attract and encourage foreign start-ups to trade with our members and companies in Dubai, but also to enable them to understand what attracts international players to our city. We have a mandate – backed by several government strategies including the Digital Economy Strategy, the Metaverse Strategy, and the D33 Economic Agenda – to help international start-ups gain a foothold in Dubai and enjoy all the benefits of a truly 21st century economy.”
Lootah also reaffirmed Dubai’s commitment to finding and supporting 30 unicorn start-ups – young companies valued at more than $1 billion – by 2033, highlighting that the city’s 20-year-old startup ecosystem has given rise to half a dozen unicorns to date.
The meeting took place at Dubai Chambers’ headquarters and featured a presentation from Hashim Shawa, who provided an overview of the Bank of Palestine Group.
Shawa expressed his satisfaction with the bank’s partnership with Dubai Chambers and emphasised the strong interest among startups in Palestine to expand into the region.
The delegation included start-ups across a wide variety of sectors including transportation services, education, construction, engineering & real estate, energy.
This also includes software solutions, e-commerce & retailers, ERP solutions, AI & financial solutions, and farming & agriculture.