Conclusions and Recommendations

It’s time to invest in the future of the shining star of the Middle East: The United Arab Emirates.

The UAE is an emerging market full of opportunities. In a land immersed in culture, expatriates from across the globe outnumber locals 4-to-1. The government not only allowed this to happen—it encouraged the phenomenon by creating business laws so favorable to FDI and industry that foreign investors simply could not resist. The UAE has become a hub for international finance, and its GDP and population continue to soar. A larger population brings with it larger demand, and it is this major growth opportunity that M.E.L.F. intends to capitalize on. Startup costs for a business in the UAE are a pittance compared to the amount of capital it would take to establish a similar business in a developed economy. Developed economies have mature industries that maintain a stranglehold on competition. The UAE on the other hand, is still developing. Its population is presently growing at more than 6% each year, and that’s only a fraction of the yearly nominal GDP growth. The fact of the matter is that companies everywhere are seizing the opportunity to do establish businesses in a country that is overwhelmingly welcome to foreign investment. The government of UAE charges no taxes to businesses, allows 100% foreign ownership of companies based solely in the UAE, and allows full repatriation of all earnings. The UAE government can afford to take this approach because as businesses move in, the infrastructure of the country experiences an enhancement. This might imply that companies looking to establish a business in the UAE need to aid in this process, but even that assumption is practically untrue. Booming business in the UAE has led to the construction of thousands of buildings which can be rented for just about any desired purpose. The beauty of the M.E.L.F. proposal is that all the facilities required to do start a factory, warehouse goods, and set up an office can be rented on a yearly basis for very reasonable rates. Should the business do exceedingly well in its first few years of operations, building a permanent, privately owned complex to move or expand operating activities to is quite easily feasible.