India is the biggest source of companies in Ras Al Khaimah, emerges as a low-cost UAE gateway for firms

India emerged the largest source of new businesses at the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez) in 2025, accounting for 33% of the 19k companies registered during the year, WAM reports.

Rakez’s new registrations rose 44% y-o-y, taking its total business community beyond 40k firms. Services-led licences dominated additions, with strong interest from consultancies, trading firms and digital-first enterprises using the emirate as a base for regional expansion.

Why it matters: The emirate of Ras Al Khaimah is rivalling Dubai as the soft-landing hub for Indian small and medium enterprises as well as tech startups by pricing licenses at AED 6k — nearly 60-70% cheaper than premium Dubai freezones. Rakez also signed an MoU with the UAE-India CEPA Council in late 2025 specifically to fast-track Indian startups into the emirate.