Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development, or DED, Government of Dubai, entrusted with the development of the small and medium enterprise, or SME, has signed a partnership agreement with Dun & Bradstreet (South Asia Middle East Ltd) to offer exclusive benefits to the top 100 SMEs in Dubai.

The partnership will entitle companies ranked under the “Dubai SME 100” initiative of Dubai SME to various privileges such as: discounts on D&B credit rating reports, free D&B DUNS Registered Seal (a tool recognised globally for enhancing online credibility and visibility) as well as participation in development workshops that help SMEs improve their credit rating and subsequently, their bankability.

Abdul Baset Al Janahi, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai SME, expressed his gratitude to Dun & Bradstreet for supporting the SME 100 initiative, which seeks to recognise the top performing SMEs based in Dubai.

“With the SME 100 programme, Dubai SME has embarked on a momentous journey of SME development together with valued partners like D&B. I am confident that as we move forward Dun & Bradstreet will provide even more benefits to those promising SMEs poised to add substantial value and diversity to the regional and global business communities,” said Al Janahi.

Rajesh Mirchandani, CEO of Dun & Bradstreet, added: “D&B is proud to be a part of the Dubai SME100 programme and will extend all possible support to Dubai SME in this initiative.”

Unlike other rankings which are based mainly or purely on financial indicators, the Dubai SME 100 ranking places a balanced emphasis on financial and non-financial dimensions of enterprise performance and development. The non-financial dimensions cover Innovation, International Orientation, Human Capital Development and Corporate Excellence.

The ranking will also serve as a tool for helping SMEs identify capability gaps for improvement. The ultimate outcome is for Dubai to have more growth-oriented, innovative, capable and sustainable enterprises that can fly the UAE flag high. The ranking methodology was developed by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) for Dubai SME, with SME development as its core guiding block.