The Abu Dhabi Business Centre of the Department of Economic Development (DED) has launched the 'Electronic Trading' licence initiative, in cooperation with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), a report said.

The initiative aims to reinforce Abu Dhabi government's trends toward providing smarter electronic services and activate the e-commerce aspect in the business sector Emirate-wide by taking advantage of internet websites and social media channels, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

The initiative was launched at a press conference at Abu Dhabi Economic Media Club headquarters. Participants included Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Business Centre, Ahmed Tarish Al Qubaisi, acting director of the Commercial Protection Directorate, and Abdel Rahman Al Marzouqi, director of the Internet Advancement at the TRA.

Khalifa bin Salem Al Mansouri, DED's Under-Secretary, said that the initiative reflects DED's keenness to enhance the emirate's electronic business environment and expand the scale of services in many fields. This will help provide greater protection for the e-commerce work by regulating activities being practised and facilitating the protection of intellectual property rights of projects owners and also providing support to them to carry out their trade activity properly.

He added that e-commerce has gained popularity among consumers in Abu Dhabi, and explained that regulating this matter by issuing a legal trade licence to practice this activity will create a kind of trust between the seller and the consumer considering that the DED, pursuant to its establishment Law No. 02 of 2009, is in charge of regulating the economic activity across the Emirate.

Hamad Al Mansouri, TRA director-general, emphasised TRA's keenness to support all kinds of initiatives and projects that would help enhance the efforts of the UAE e-government through an active partnership with all federal and local governmental bodies concerning the e-commerce sector.

He explained that the E-Commerce Administration at the TRA works on encouraging the regulatory environment and developing electronic initiatives that help secure the electronic transactions and e-commerce, in addition to the implementation of the Federal Law No. 01 of 2006, on e-commerce and transactions whereby it leads these efforts in line with the Cabinet Decision No. 01 of 2008 regarding the issue of the electronic certification service providers regulation.

The TRA director-general said that the Cabinet Decision No. 8/291 of 2006 on the appointment of the TRA as an entity in charge of monitoring the certification services in the UAE aims to licence, certify, monitor and oversee the activities carried out by the electronic certification service providers. This law and the attached regulation apply to the electronic certification service providers in the country, as well as anyone who provides electronic certification services, either directly or indirectly, to the public on a commercial basis, concerning the electronic records, documents and signatures that are related to the electronic transactions and commerce.

Mohammed Al Mansouri explained that DED sought to provide unique services to the investors by introducing the electronic trade activities through which entrepreneurs are allowed to add the electronic trade activities to their existing licences and conduct their business through the websites and social media.

Al Qubaisi said that two main activities were allocated to the electronic trade activity licensing. These are the electronic trade through the websites, and the electronic trade through social media.

He noted that the mechanism of issuing the electronic trade licence by Abu Dhabi Business Centre is carried out when a new permit is requested. This is done by applying via the DED's website or through Abu Dhabi Business Centre's app ADBC, which require the approval of the TRA.

He added that in case an application is submitted to request the addition of the electronic trade activity via the websites or the social media for existing licences, an activity addition application is submitted, after which the TRA's approval is obtained to pay the fees and issue the licence.

Al Qubaisi mentioned that the DED provides the owners of electronic trade licences the "Electronic Tajer" mark along with a serial number for the licence to use it during the promotion of the product or the good that are planned to be marketed. This helps enhance the consumers' trust, protect their rights, and inform them that the DED legally licenses their activity.

He explained that the electronic trade licence is based on three primary standards, the availability of an existing permit, Tajer Abu Dhabi or a commercial licence, the availability of at least one central activity, and the identification of the websites that are used to conduct the operation through the domain name.