One tax update, a lot of AI, some interesting numbers out of Dubai and a podcast worth sticking on during the commute. Here’s what caught our attention this week – and why we think it’s worth yours.
If your business turns over less than AED 3 million, this one is worth knowing about.
The UAE Ministry of Finance has extended the period for claiming Small Business Relief for Corporate Tax purposes. Eligible taxable persons with annual revenue of no more than AED 3 million can now claim the relief for relevant tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029, subject to the applicable conditions.
Because 2026 was supposed to be the end of the current relief period. Now eligible small businesses have another three years.
That doesn’t mean “corporate tax? What corporate tax?” – there are still rules and filing requirements to follow. But if you’re under the threshold, it’s worth checking what the extension means for your business.
DTEC registrations are up 57%, while the number of AI companies has jumped 95%.
AI isn’t sitting in the “maybe one day” pile anymore. More businesses are being built around it, more competitors are using it, and more customers are going to expect it.
Not because every business suddenly needs to become an AI company. But because every business owner should probably be asking where AI could make them faster, smarter or harder to compete with.
Companies aren’t just using AI to write emails and make prettier PowerPoints. Some are starting to bring work like coding and software implementation back in-house — work they previously paid outside specialists to do.
The FT News Briefing looks at what happens when AI starts changing not just how companies work, but who they need to pay to do the work.
Ask yourself this: What are you currently paying someone else to do that your own team could become capable of doing with AI?
The SME Souk Podcast sits down with H.E. Khalifa Al Hajeri from Emirates Growth Fund to talk about what growing businesses in the UAE actually need to scale.
Because scaling isn’t just “do more of what worked when we were smaller.” At some point, the business needs different systems, different people, different funding – and usually a different version of the owner too.
A useful listen if your business is moving beyond the “we’ll figure it out as we go” stage and you’re thinking seriously about what the next level requires.