Standard Chartered: “20% of Corporates Globally Eye UAE for Future Supply Chains”
Half of corporates in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and India plan to expand trade with the UAE, reinforcing its role as a rising global hub.
29 September 2025 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Standard Chartered announced today the findings of its latest ‘Future of Trade: Resilience’ report, which identifies the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as one of six stand-out markets shaping the future of global trade. The report highlights that 20 per cent of corporates globally are reviewing their Future Supply Chains through the UAE, underscoring its position as a resilient commercial hub with strong international connectivity.
The study, which covers 1,200 corporates with annual revenues above USD 250 million across 17 markets, also reveals that companies are increasingly looking to the UAE to access opportunities with Mainland China, ASEAN, Africa and the United States, reflecting its growing role as a connector across some of the world’s most dynamic growth corridors.
Standard Chartered: “20% of Corporates Globally Eye UAE for Future Supply Chains”
Commenting on the findings, Mohammed Salama, Regional Head of Client Coverage for Corporate and Investment Banking, at Standard Chartered, said: “The UAE’s rise as a global trade hub is a direct reflection of the vision of its leadership to diversify the economy, strengthen resilience and invest in world-class infrastructure. That vision is positioning the country at the Centre of tomorrow’s trade corridors and attracting corporates worldwide to place the UAE at the heart of their supply chains.”
Alongside this global trend, the report further highlights that 50 per cent of corporates from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India intend to expand trade and investment with the UAE, underlining its role in strengthening intra-regional flows and cementing the Middle East–India corridor.
Salama added: “As regional economies deepen their trade links; the UAE is playing a central role in connecting partners across the Middle East and South Asia. With its position along corridors linking the region to India, China, Africa and beyond, the country is driving new flows that extend well past traditional sectors. At Standard Chartered, we are proud to support this by leveraging our presence in 54 markets to connect clients, mobilize capital and help facilitate the growth of trade.”
The UAE’s growing role in both regional and global trade flows is reinforced by sustained investment in infrastructure and diversification. The country’s attractiveness is further strengthened by its world-class infrastructure, including some of the busiest ports globally, alongside Operation 300bn, which aims to raise the industrial sector’s contribution to AED 300 billion (USD 81.7 billion) by 2031. These efforts are complemented by rapid diversification into financial services, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure, supported by growing investment in data centres and cloud ecosystems.
This diversification is reflected in the UAE’s increasingly important trade corridors that now extend well beyond petrochemicals, linking the Middle East globally while driving new flows in renewable energy, technology and e-commerce.
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For further information please contact:
Khaled Abdulla, CFA®
Director, Head of Communications
Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing
United Arab Emirates
M: +971 55 655 7553
T: +971 4 508 3155
Future of Trade report
The Future of Trade report is based on an online survey, conducted by Kantar between July and early August 2025, of 1,200 C-suite executives and/or key trade finance decision makers from multinational corporations (with annual revenue of over USD250 million) based in 17 key markets[1] across four sectors[2] on their views to global trade and their strategies in the next three to five years.
Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
[1] Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mainland China, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam
[2] Consumer and retail; energy; power and diversified industries; and technology, media and telecommunications
