Ready to Digitise? RAKEZ Teams Up With Zoho

For many small and mid-sized businesses, running day-to-day operations still means juggling spreadsheets, emails, accounting tools, HR paperwork, and customer data across different platforms. It works, but it’s rarely efficient. That’s the gap Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone is trying to close with its latest partnership.

RAKEZ has signed a strategic MoU with global technology company Zoho to help its business community access practical digital tools to manage their companies more easily. The idea is simple: make it easier for entrepreneurs and SMEs to run operations without adding complexity or heavy costs.

Through the collaboration, RAKEZ-registered companies in the UAE will be able to use Zoho’s cloud-based business applications for core functions such as accounting and invoicing, customer management, human resources, internal communication, and reporting. To lower the barrier to entry, eligible businesses will receive wallet credits of up to USD 1,000, which they can use across Zoho’s suite of products.

For many SMEs, digital tools are often adopted in pieces — one system for finance, another for CRM, another for HR. Over time, that can create more work instead of less. Zoho’s approach brings these functions under one platform, allowing businesses to track activity, people, and finances in a more connected way. The goal of the RAKEZ partnership is to reduce administrative load and give business owners better visibility into how their operations are actually running.

The MoU was signed at Compass Coworking Centre by Puneet Jain, Chief Strategic Officer at RAKEZ, and Prem Anand, Associate Director and Strategic Growth at Zoho, marking a shared focus on building stronger digital foundations for companies operating in Ras Al Khaimah.

Commenting on the partnership, Ramy Jallad, Group CEO of RAKEZ, said digital transformation plays an important role in long-term business resilience. He noted that giving RAKEZ members access to established, enterprise-grade tools in a cost-effective way helps them grow and adapt as markets change, while keeping operations manageable.

Zoho already supports millions of organisations globally, from startups to larger enterprises. Its platforms cover customer relationship management, finance, HR, operations, collaboration, and analytics, and are built to scale as businesses expand. For SMEs in particular, this means they don’t have to replace systems every time the business grows.

For RAKEZ, the partnership fits into a wider strategy of offering more than licensing and facilities. By bringing in technology partners, the economic zone is positioning itself as a longer-term business partner rather than just a setup destination. The focus is on helping companies operate more efficiently, stay competitive, and gradually build the digital capabilities they need in today’s market.

For business owners in Ras Al Khaimah, the message is practical: fewer disconnected tools, lower entry costs for software, and a simpler way to manage daily operations without overhauling everything at once.