A landmark collaboration between Dubai Business Registration and Licensing Corporation (DBLC), part of the Department of Economy and Tourism, and Emirates NBD has reshaped the way businesses enter the banking system. Through integration with the Dubai Unified Licence (DUL), the process of onboarding small and medium-sized enterprises now takes a third less time.
Faster Banking Through Verified Data
Emirates NBD was among the earliest financial institutions to connect with the DUL, creating a frictionless path for both SMEs and Business Banking clients. By tapping into verified licence and investor records held by DBLC, the bank has shortened onboarding by 35 percent. More than 4,000 customer files were automatically updated in just two months, sparing entrepreneurs and staff from time-consuming manual work. The shift has also meant speedier account openings, simpler compliance, and smoother access to services for growing firms.
Centralised Identity for Businesses
Launched in 2023, the DUL acts as a single digital identity for companies across Dubai’s mainland and free zones. This shared platform eliminates duplication, ensures information accuracy, and allows instant access to secure data. For government bodies and private players alike, it has streamlined compliance checks and improved service delivery. For entrepreneurs, it functions almost like a master key, opening doors to regulators, banks, and other partners with minimal effort.
This model of integration ties directly into the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which seeks to double the city’s economy within the next decade. Since adoption, Emirates NBD has broadened its connectivity to cover all local licensing authorities, including DMCC, Meydan, and DAFZA. The onboarding of Emirates Islamic in March 2025 further widened the scope. With an expanded dataset now covering 275 extra fields, precision and consistency across the system have increased significantly.
Leaders Welcome Milestone
Ahmad Khalifa AlQaizi AlFalasi, CEO of DBLC, said: “Our partnership with Emirates NBD reflects the strength of the Dubai Unified License as a catalyst for business efficiency and for Dubai’s broader aspiration of creating an even stronger investor-friendly environment. By enabling faster onboarding, real-time licence remediation, and seamless integration with financial services, the DUL is delivering on the priorities set out in the D33 Agenda to build a truly digital-first, globally competitive economy. Under Dubai’s visionary leadership, we are committed to forming more such collaborations that will attract investment, foster innovation and secure our city’s position as a world-leading hub for trade and enterprise.”
Marwan Hadi, Group Head of Retail Banking & Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, said: “Dubai continues to draw global businesses and investors, driven by its resilient economy and ongoing efforts to advance strategic economic initiatives that shape a distinctive business landscape; in a further testament to this progress, the city recorded a GDP of AED119.7 billion in the first quarter of 2025, marking a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2024.”
