UAE economy on solid path to shake off pandemic woes gulfnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gulfnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dubai: Coronavirus pandemic pressed pause on the global economy’s progress. The UAE’s open economy hinged on tourism and oil encountered attacks from many directions. As the economy recuperates, its priorities over the next few years are expected to change.
A year into the fight between disease and development, the ramifications of the event are apparent. The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre said the UAE’s economy contracted by 6.1 per cent in 2020. As the world’s air travel hub and an international centre of trade and business, the global restrictions on movement stunted the economy.
A look back
The Arab world’s second biggest economy witnessed the first contraction of its GDP since the financial crisis in 2009 as the pandemic led to a significant slump in rent, trade, foreign investment and energy prices.
Roundtable: Mena trade finance leaders assess post-pandemic landscape gtreview.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gtreview.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
I struggled to secure payments from clients and had to issue cheques worth Dh400,000 to my suppliers and vendors. I also had about Dh50,000 worth of credit card debt in the UAE.
I flew to my home country on a repatriation flight last year. Subsequently, a few of my cheques issued to suppliers bounced. I want to return to the UAE but am afraid I might be detained at the airport by immigration authorities. What can I do to fix the situation?
GK, India
Debt panellist 1: Philip King, head of retail banking at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
The Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected many businesses and people in the UAE and globally, leaving them in difficult situations and with unexpected financial repercussions.