The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) said it has issued a total of 4,101 licences for several types of businesses during the second quarter, registering a 42 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

A majority of the licences was issued in the commercial sector (3,094) followed by the professional sector (914), and industry (64), said a DED statement.

‘Ready-made garments’ led the list of the top 10 licensed activities in the commercial category with 536 licences issued, followed by ‘Perfumes and cosmetics’ with 433 and ‘General trade’ with 431.

‘Restaurants’ topped the list of licensed activities in the professional category with 135 licences issued in the second quarter, followed by ‘Residences and building cleaning services’ with 131, ‘café’ with 68, ‘selling snacks’ with 62, and ‘men’s barber’ with 60.

In industrial activities, ‘Metal work industry for construction’ led the list of the top 10 licensed activities with seven licences followed by ‘Blacksmithing and welding workshops’ with six, and ‘Mirrors and glass work’, ‘Construction of metal parts ‘, and ‘Construction of metal industry’ with four licences each.

The Intlaq scheme, an initiative by the DED to encourage more UAE nationals to set up businesses from home, recorded strong performance with 649 licences issued in the second quarter of the year, a 50 per cent increase over the same period last year.

The largest growth was recorded in the trade category with 575 licences followed by professional category with 74, the statement said.

The total number of transactions during the second quarter surged 13 per cent to reach 101,982 compared to 90,638 during the same period last year.

The number of renewed licences was 22,842, while the total number of amended licenses hit 12,897 compared to 10,689 last year, registering a 21 per cent growth.

The total number of commercial permits reached 11,647, a 7 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, while the total number of field inspection visits was 13,991, and the total number of ‘Trade name reservation’ reached 13,056 names, the DED statement said.-TradeArabia News Service