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How to Start a Wholesale Brokerage Business with Meydan Free Zone
According to WAM¹, the UAE moved AED 3.8 trillion in non-oil trade in 2025. Behind almost every one of those transactions, there is an intermediary who made it happen.
A commission agent is the firm that executes wholesale transactions on behalf of a principal, negotiating terms, placing orders, and managing the trade without ever taking ownership of the goods. You earn a fee for making the deal work, not from marking up the product.
The scope is broad by design: anything from raw commodities and industrial inputs to consumer goods and capital equipment falls within this activity.
Wholesale trade is the single largest contributor to the UAE's non-oil economy, accounting for 16.8 percent of non-oil GDP according to the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre², and in Dubai alone the sector reached AED 86.9 billion in the first nine months of 2025, growing 4.6 percent year on year³. 6W Research⁴ projects the broader UAE wholesale market to grow at a 3.5 percent CAGR through 2030, with food wholesale turnover alone surpassing AED 100 billion in 2023.
Mordor Intelligence⁵ identifies wholesale and retail as the fastest-growing end-user vertical in UAE logistics, expanding at a 7.05 percent CAGR through 2031.
Whether you are brokering food imports for a hotel chain or representing a European machinery brand across the GCC, the UAE's wholesale infrastructure is built to support exactly this kind of intermediary trade.
Who is this for?
| Audience Segment | Profile |
|---|---|
| Trade intermediaries and sourcing agents | Individuals or firms that connect international manufacturers with regional buyers, negotiating bulk deals across commodity categories like food, textiles, metals, or building materials and earning a commission on each transaction. |
| Wholesale brokers and distribution agents | Businesses that manage procurement and order fulfilment on behalf of principals, sourcing products globally and coordinating delivery to GCC buyers without holding inventory or taking ownership of goods. |
| Trading agencies and manufacturer representatives | Firms appointed by international producers to represent their products in the UAE and wider GCC market, managing sales, client relationships, and order execution under agency agreements. |
4610.01 - Activities Of Commission Agents And All Other Wholesalers Who Trade On Behalf And On The Account Of Others
Under this activity, you are licensed to operate as an intermediary who trades on behalf of and on the account of others. The principal appoints you, you execute on their behalf, and the commercial risk stays with them.
You can be appointed by the sell side (a manufacturer looking to move product into a new market) or the buy side (a procurement department looking to source at scale).
| Category | Scope |
|---|---|
| Agricultural, food & beverage | Agricultural raw materials, live animals, food, beverages, tobacco Broker agricultural commodities, food products, and beverages between international suppliers and regional buyers. The UAE imports over 90 percent of its food, so demand for sourcing agents is structural. NOTABLE UAE OPERATORS EMCO International DMCC (agro-commodity brokerage since 1992), Midstar, Asia & Africa General Trading, Acer Commodity Trading. |
| Industrial, fuels & chemicals | Fuels, ores, metals, industrial chemicals, fertilisers Execute trades for fuels, metals, ores, and industrial chemicals on behalf of principals. The UAE is one of the world's largest re-export hubs for industrial commodities flowing into GCC and African markets. UAE CONTEXT The UAE ranked 9th globally in goods exports in 2025 according to Khaleej Times⁶, with aluminium, refined petroleum, and industrial chemicals among key exports. |
| Consumer goods & textiles | Textile raw materials, semi-finished goods, clothing, fur, footwear, leather goods Trade textiles, garments, footwear, and leather goods on behalf of manufacturers, managing orders and transactions under agency agreements. REGIONAL OPPORTUNITY Dubai is the region's largest re-export node; Tradeling operates as a B2B wholesale marketplace connecting buyers and sellers across the GCC. |
| Machinery, equipment & building materials | Machinery, office equipment, computers, industrial equipment, ships, aircraft, timber, building materials, furniture, household goods, hardware Connect machinery, IT equipment, and building materials suppliers with contractors, government bodies, and institutional procurement teams across the GCC. UAE CONTEXT The UAE has signed 24 CEPAs covering 2.5 billion people according to WAM¹, opening preferential access for cross-border equipment and materials deals. |
There are some areas this activity does not cover. It excludes wholesale trade in your own name, activities of commission agents for motor vehicles, auctions of motor vehicles, retail sale by non-store commission agents, activities of insurance agents, and activities of real estate agents.
In short: if you are the middleman facilitating wholesale trade and earning a commission without owning the goods, this is your activity.
Third-Party Approval
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
References
- ¹ WAM / Trade Arabia. (2026, February 2). UAE's non-oil foreign trade tops AED 3.8 trillion for first time.tradearabia.com
- ² Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre via Khaleej Times. (2025, June 15). Non-oil sector propels UAE's GDP to nearly Dh1.8 trillion in 2024. khaleejtimes.com
- ³ Emirates 24/7. (2026, February 2). Dubai's Economy Records AED355 Billion GDP in 2025, Posting 4.7% Growth.emirates247.com
- ⁴ 6W Research. (2025). UAE Wholesale Market — By Customer and Products, 2020–2026. 6wresearch.com
- ⁵ Mordor Intelligence. (2026). UAE Freight and Logistics Market Size & Share Analysis — Growth Trends & Forecasts (2026–2031). mordorintelligence.com
- ⁶ Khaleej Times. (2026, April). UAE eyes top five exporter rank by 2031 as CEPAs fuel trade surge. khaleejtimes.com
