Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone (RAK FTZ) said it has signed a new partnership agreement with Servcorp, a leader in the international business centre industry, to add virtual offices to its growing list of value-added services to clients.

Servcorp, a leading provider of quality serviced and virtual office facilities offers affordable technology-driven solutions that cater to the specific business needs of individual clients.

With more than 77 locations worldwide, Servcorp has business centres in some of the most prestigious addresses around the globe, including 16 in Australia, 18 in Japan, six in China, two in the United States, two in India, and one in the United Kingdom.

Through Servcorp, RAK FTZ now offers its clients the option to establish a business presence in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

By setting up a virtual office based in one of Servcorp’s locations in either city, the free zone’s clients can enhance their profiles through a prominent business addresses in one of the major UAE metropolises and enjoy, at a special rate, a full suite of technologies, facilities and corporate services, said a senior official.

They will also gain access to Servcorp’s business centres around the world; an invaluable opportunity for companies looking for viable UAE based business alternatives that are flexible, affordable and accessible.

'Our partnership with Servcorp opens up a whole new world to entrepreneurs and SMEs. Now, they are no longer tied to a physical office with costly overheads like rent, utilities and hardware – not to mention manpower,' said Oussama El Omari, RAK FTZ CEO, upon announcing the news.

'We are in an era of cloud computing, where businesses store pertinent information online, and in this trend, virtual offices are the next step – a vital step which we are now making available to our clients,' he added.

'Innovation is a concept that RAK FTZ has adopted since its inception, and we encourage the kind of creativity that leads to business excellence. Our approach is simple and effective, because it is customer-centred. Our customers are the major stakeholders in our success.'

'By constantly striving to provide better business solutions, infrastructure and support – like this new option of virtual offices – which will enable even more entrepreneurs and business owners and to realise their goals, we remain competitive and continue to provide the best enabling business environment to the investment community,” Omari added.

According to him, the new partnership also benefits Servcorp by enabling its clients to obtain a business licence through RAK FTZ.

“Servcorp’s 24,000 global clients now have the opportunity to be licensed in the UAE and use one of the best jurisdictions in the world to do business in the emerging markets, taking advantage of a zero tax, zero custom duties business environment,” said Laudy Lahdo, Servcorp general manager – UAE and Bahrain.-TradeArabia News Service