Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has revealed that smart transactions accounted for 96% of all customer transactions processed by the non-profit public organisation in the first quarter of 2019.

As a result of this uptick, an 85% drop in the number of visitors to Dubai Chamber’s service centres was recorded over the same period as customers shifted towards smart services to complete their transactions.

A total of AED 3.6 million worth of transportation costs was saved by customers who processed transactions electronically, according to estimates by Dubai Chamber. In addition, an 84.3% reduction in paper consumption was observed during the quarter as Dubai Chamber scaled up its effort to support the Dubai Paperless Strategy which aims to eliminate over one billion papers annually used for Dubai government transactions.

Currently, Dubai Chamber customers can request Certificates of Origin (CO) by either using the organisation’s smart kiosks, e-Certificates of Origin, and in-house printing services, or visiting one of its services centres.

H.E. Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that Dubai Chamber’s smart transformation was inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and noted that the recent uptick in smart transactions signals a growing awareness of the benefits of using e-services among businesses in Dubai.

Following the announcement of Dubai’s eight governing principles and the 50-year charter earlier this year, more businesses have been adopting smarter practices and looking to the public sector for new solutions to enhance their competitiveness, he noted, adding that Dubai Chamber remains fully committed to supporting Dubai’s vision for the future by improving ease of doing business and developing new services that cater to the changing needs of businesses.

“We are encouraged to see that our ‘Smart Chamber’ approach is resonating with our members and customers. Following the success of our smart services push, we will continue to invest in innovation-focused initiatives and examine new ways that we can create value for our members and the wider business community in Dubai,” said H.E. Buamim.