At Zoholics Dubai, Zoho made several announcements as it celebrated its growth in the region with partners and customers. In 2024, Zoho achieved 50% revenue growth in the UAE and saw a 40% increase in the channel network. It now has over 70 local partners in the UAE, as well as several GSIs operating there. Recent additions to its partner network include A&A Associate LLC, RTMC, byteelIT, Mango Technologies, and Biz Easy DMCC.
Zoho is also seeing strong growth in the enterprise (upmarket) sector with 64% growth, boosted by some large UAE organisations migrating to its solutions. The impressive number of partners indicates that momentum is likely to be maintained or even increased in 2025. Zoho continues to see strong demand for solutions such as with Zoho One, Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and Zoho People. In 2024, demand for Zoho Desk has also increased with local businesses.
At GITEX, in late 2024, Zoho announced an AED 46 Million (US$ 12.5 million) investment as part of its strategic partnerships with local public and private entities in the UAE.
UAE has become a key marketplace for Zoho, and its expansion, especially with the partner growth, looks solid. The firm is also forming partnerships with public sector organisations.
Another local partnership
Zoho also announced a new partnership with the UAQ Chamber of Commerce to drive digital transformation in the Emirate. Zoho has a history of partnering with public sector bodies in the country. In 2020, it partnered with Dubai Economy and Tourism Department (DET), Flat6Labs, Dubai Culture, and IFZA to provide businesses of all sizes access to digital tools, training, and resources.
The strategic agreement with the Umm Al Quwain Chamber of Commerce will see Zoho invest AED 17 million in wallet credits value and AED 43 million in value dedicated to digital upskilling. Zoho aims to support over 8,600 businesses through its relationship with Umm Al Quwain.
The signing ceremony took place at Zoholics in the presence of His Excellency Ammar Rashid Al Aleeli, Director General at UAQ Chamber of Commerce and Hyther Nizam, President Middle East and Africa, Zoho and Prem Anand Velumani, Associate Director, Strategic Growth (MEA) at Zoho.
Hyther Nizam, President of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Zoho, commented, “Our growth in the UAE reflects the growing confidence of local businesses in Zoho’s solutions, and our partnership with the Umm Al Quwain Chamber of Commerce is an exciting step towards empowering more businesses with the tools they need to gain competitiveness in today’s digital economy.
“As one of the UAE’s emerging business hubs, Umm Al Quwain is rapidly establishing itself as a thriving ecosystem for trade and manufacturing. With its strategic location, modern port facilities, and growing industrial base, the Emirate offers a unique environment for businesses to expand and innovate.”
What the agreement delivers
Through this agreement, eligible businesses in UAQ can register to receive AED 2,000 wallet credits and AED 5,000 in training value for one year. Organisations can use these credits to pay for access to the Zoho suite of more than 55 applications. Organisations can also get access to Zoho One, which includes a full suite of business applications. The training credits can be used for workshops for user training.
His Excellency Khalfan Ahmed Mesfer, Chairman at the UAQ Chamber of Commerce, commented, “This partnership with Zoho is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to foster innovation and growth within the UAE’s business community. We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration will bring to our members and the wider business ecosystem.”
H.E Ammar Rashid Al Aleeli added, “Our collaboration with Zoho marks a new era of technological advancement and support for businesses in Umm Al Quwain. We look forward to leveraging Zoho’s expertise to enhance our services and drive economic development in the Emirate.”
Transnational localism strategy builds in UAE
Zoho continues to deliver its transnational localism across the world. In UAE, this has now seen it partner with the UAQ Chamber of Commerce as it aims to help the digital transformation of local businesses. The partnership also aligned with the UAE Digital Economy Strategy. The strategy aims to double the contribution of the digital economy to the UAE’s non-oil GDP from 11.7 per cent to over 20 per cent by 2030.
The new partnership will assist the Zoho strategy of helping local communities through the use of its technology stack. The credits will help kick-start businesses, whose success will then help fund further investment in Zoho’s solutions. Zoho solutions will increase efficiency in local businesses, help increase revenue and profitability. Those business will then contribute to the growth of the digital economy in UAE.
Prem Anand Velumani, Associate Director, Strategic Growth (MEA), Zoho, commented, “Zoho’s commitment to the UAE’s digital vision is underscored by our expanding network of alliances with government entities, helping businesses across the region modernise and innovate. Through our partnership with the Umm Al Quwain Chamber of Commerce, we are excited to help local businesses leverage digital tools to further enhance their operations and tap into new opportunities in the global market.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Zoho continues to build relationships with government bodies in the UAE. The partnership with the UAQ Chamber of Commerce is just the latest. Zoho has similar initiatives in place with the following organisations:
- Department of Economy and Tourism (DET),
- The International Free Zone Authority (IFZA), and
- Dubai Culture, among others.
Zoho’s transnational localism strategy, along with a more traditional partner approach, has seen huge success globally. UAE appears to be a fast growing region for the company. It is one which is becoming more important for the global organisation.
Zoholics Dubai is one of the first of its conferences for 2025. It will be interesting to see what other announcements and partnerships it makes in the region in 2025.
