Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy has opened access to Canva AI design tools for SMEs, extending a partnership first announced earlier this year. The offer runs through the Business in Dubai platform and gives qualifying companies a free Canva Business subscription for a full year. It reaches both small firms and individuals working across the emirate.
The subscription covers a broad set of features. Users can build social media designs, presentations, websites, and videos from a single account. Brand Kits keep visual assets consistent across teams, and AI-powered design tools handle much of the routine work that once required a specialist. Each registered company can add as many as 50 employees, which spreads the value across whole organisations rather than a single user.
Who qualifies for the offer?
Access carries clear conditions. A company must hold Dubai Chambers membership, employ no more than 500 people, and hold no current or previous paid Canva plan. Firms that meet those terms can register through the platform and begin using the tools without a fee. Companies holding Dubai-issued trade licenses will become eligible in the near future, which widens the pool beyond current members.
The structure points to a specific target. Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy is directing support toward early-stage and growing businesses that often lack in-house design capacity. For many of these firms, professional visual content has stayed out of reach on cost grounds. The free Canva Business subscription removes that barrier for a defined period.
- UAE real GDP reached AED 961.9 billion in H1 2026, up 0.4 percent on the year.
- Non-oil GDP grew 1.8 percent, lifting the non-oil share to 79.2 percent of the economy.
- Financial and insurance activities led all sectors with 14.8 percent growth.
- Second-quarter output fell 2.1 percent as regional developments hit tourism, transport, and trade.
- ECONOMY
Canva AI design tools for SMEs and the wider strategy
Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, framed the move as part of a broader push. He said giving SMEs professional AI-powered design capabilities helps them streamline operations and build a stronger digital presence. Access to Canva AI design tools for SMEs, in his view, supports a business environment where companies gain the agility to grow, innovate, and scale.
Canva’s own footprint in the market gives the deal weight. People living in the UAE now publish more than five million designs on the platform every month. Ahmad Iqbal, General Manager for MENAP at Canva, said the partnership extends the company’s goal of putting professional design within reach of entrepreneurs and small teams.
A five-year target for digital SMEs
The offer forms one piece of a larger agreement. Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and Canva signed the deal on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2026, a step that also brings Canva’s regional headquarters to the emirate. The partnership works toward supporting 250,000 digital SMEs and individuals over the next five years.
That figure sits inside national plans for digital transformation and artificial intelligence. By lowering the cost of design work, the programme feeds a wider effort to lift the digital economy and equip smaller firms to compete. The Business in Dubai platform serves as the channel that connects those firms to the tools.
For SMEs weighing the offer, the calculation is direct. Canva AI design tools for SMEs cut both the time and the expense of producing marketing material, and the one-year window gives businesses room to test the platform at scale. The next stage will show how many of the targeted 250,000 take it up.
