The UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) programme, initiated in September 2021, has resulted in 26 agreements with strategically significant countries and international blocs by the end of the first quarter of 2025, bolstering its regional and global economic position.
In 2025 alone, the UAE signed five new CEPAs with:
- Malaysia
- New Zealand
- Kenya
- Ukraine
- Central African Republic
These agreements significantly expand the country’s global trade network and create new opportunities for the UAE’s private sector and business community across some of the world’s most dynamic economies.
UAE CEPA deals
Six of these agreements have officially entered into force. Fourteen others have been signed and are undergoing technical and ratification procedures in preparation for implementation.
Negotiations on six more agreements have been finalised, and the signing is expected soon.
Throughout 2025, the CEPA programme continues to broaden the UAE’s trade and investment partnerships, strengthening the country’s role as a hub for open and multilateral global trade.
The UAE is also in the final stages of CEPA negotiations with several major economies, most notably Japan, with talks expected to conclude before the end of 2025.
This reflects both nations’ commitment to deepening economic collaboration and unlocking new opportunities for economic growth and development between their business communities.
The results of four key agreements that have already taken effect highlight positive outcomes including non-oil trade between the UAE and India grew by 20.5 per cent, with UAE exports to India jumping 75 per cent by the end of 2024.
Trade with Türkiye rose by over 11 per cent, with Indonesia seeing growth exceeding 15 per cent, and Georgia recording a remarkable 56 per cent increase.
These results underscore the real-world impact of CEPAs, which typically take five years or more to show significant effects.
The CEPAs have had a positive impact on the UAE’s foreign trade performance, which continues to witness steady growth.
The CEPA programme has accelerated this upward trajectory, supporting progress toward the targets outlined in the “We the UAE 2031” vision.
This national agenda aims to raise the total value of the United Arab Emirates’ non-oil foreign trade in goods to AED4tn ($1.1tn), and to increase non-oil exports to AED800bn ($218bn) by the year 2031.
The positive impact of these agreements has been felt across multiple sectors, most notably in the country’s non-oil foreign trade and re-export services.
Key beneficiaries of these agreements include sectors such as logistics, clean and renewable energy, advanced technology and applications, financial services, green industries, advanced materials, agriculture, and sustainable food systems.
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