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SEDD announced that the emirate's economic development indicators achieved remarkable growth in the third quarter of 2025. The number of business licenses issued reached a total of 2,555, a growth rate of 20%, while the number of business licenses renewed reached 15,890, a growth rate of 0.3% compared to the same period last year.
His Excellency Hamad Ali Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Chairman of SEDD and Member of the Executive Council (SEC), explained that the activity of business licenses during the third quarter of this year confirms the strength of the local economy and the attractiveness of the environment.
Investments are indicators of the sustainable growth of Sharjah's economy. The emirate has a strategy that seeks to maintain a healthy growth rate, relying on attractive factors, including its distinguished geographical location, the significant development seen by the service sectors, and the continuous development of services to meet the highest international quality standards.
Data released indicated a significant increase in the growth rate of licenses issued by license type during the third quarter of 2025. Commercial licenses topped the list with a total of 1,500 licenses, followed by professional licenses with 740, and then industrial licenses with 135. E-commerce licenses ranked fourth with a total of 97 licenses, while Etimad licenses ranked fifth with 83.
Regarding renewed licenses, commercial licenses ranked first with a total of 10,026, followed by professional licenses with 4,817, industrial licenses with 797, Etimad licenses with 172, and e-commerce licenses with 78.
In the same context, Geographical distribution and horizontal development of activities, and distribution of licenses across the department's branches, 1,111 business licenses were issued at the department's main branch, followed by the Industrial Areas branch with 974 licenses. The Central Region branch also registered 262 licenses, followed by the Khorfakkan branch with 118 licenses, followed by the Kalba branch with approximately 78 licenses, and the Dibba Al Hisn branch with a total of 12 licenses issued.
Regarding the geographical distribution of renewed business licenses during the same period, the department's Industrial Areas branch registered 7,220 licenses, followed by the main branch with 5,842 licenses, the Central Region branch with 1,533 licenses, the Khorfakkan branch with 650 licenses, the Kalba branch with 544 licenses, and the Dibba Al Hisn branch with 101 licenses.
The performance of digital services showed a 14% increase in completed digital transactions, totaling 252,249 transactions, while the investor participation rate reached Smart transactions accounted for 16% of the total transactions completed. In the smart transformation area, automated and proactive transactions grew by 16%, confirming the expansion of smart and proactive service delivery to meet customer needs more efficiently.
The average customer journey time also saw a significant improvement, decreasing from 160 minutes in 2024 to just 40 minutes in 2025. This improvement comes after the department implemented a comprehensive improvement to the customer experience to meet customer requirements and enhance access to digital services.
SEDD is committed to working with merchants and consumers to foster a fair relationship between the two parties. The department communicates with consumers in Sharjah's markets through all possible means, raising awareness and informing them of their basic rights through platforms, websites, and ongoing field visits. The total number of commercial control transactions during the third quarter of this year reached 65,524. transaction, a 26% increase over the same period in 2024.
The total number of commercial protection complaints reached 4,140 in the third quarter of this year. Consumer protection complaints accounted for the largest share, reaching 3,681, followed by commercial fraud complaints (234), and service agent complaints (225).
The department also acknowledges the vital role of consumers in monitoring illegal commercial practices, helping to detect any instances of commercial manipulation or fraud, and contributing to reporting linguistic errors on commercial signs. Consumers can report these cases by contacting the department via the call center (80080000), visiting the department's website (www.sedd.ae), or via the department's smart application, as part of its active participation in market monitoring.
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