Last month we hosted business owners across Dubai and Abu Dhabi to discuss growth, compliance and financing at our annual Business Advisory Roundtable. Here are the five themes that came up again and again in the room.
1. Access to growth financing remains the top concern for founders scaling past their first few years, ahead of even tax compliance. 2. Corporate Tax registration is largely done, but many businesses are still unsure how to optimise their structure under the new regime. 3. Emiratisation targets are shaping hiring plans more than most businesses anticipated a year ago.
4. Digital transformation budgets are increasingly framed around compliance readiness (e-invoicing, real-time reporting) rather than pure efficiency. 5. Businesses that treat their accountant as a strategic partner – not just a compliance function – consistently reported faster, more confident growth decisions.
