DigiTax, a Kenyan tech company, has entered the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after being pre-approved by the country’s Ministry of Finance to provide electronic invoicing services, opening a new market as the gulf nation prepares to make digital invoicing mandatory for businesses.
- •The tax-tech company, which operates in the UAE through Namiri Technology Services LLC, has opened an office in Dubai and has begun hiring for sales, account management, customer service and technical roles.
- •The UAE is introducing electronic invoicing as part of a broader digitisation of tax administration, as companies with annual revenue of 50 million Dirhams (US$13.6 million) or more will have to comply with the new invoicing and reporting requirements from 1 January next year.
- •Other businesses will be expected to comply with those requirements from 1 July, 2027.
“It’s a privilege to launch in the UAE, a country that is deeply admired around the world for its forward-thinking. It is a country that inspires us, especially its pursuit of digital transformation. We are looking forward to supporting the many exciting enterprises and passionate entrepreneurs that fuel the UAE’s continued growth,” said Caine Wanjau, CEO and co-founder of DigiTax.
DigiTax’s business has grown alongside a wider shift toward digital tax administration. In Kenya, electronic invoicing has increasingly linked tax compliance to ordinary business transactions, allowing the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to use invoice information in tax administration and return preparation. The UAE is now building a similar digital layer, although its framework is being introduced in a market with a large concentration of multinational companies and sophisticated financial systems.
The UAE invoicing system will require businesses to exchange structured electronic invoices through approved service providers rather than relying on paper documents or ordinary PDF invoices. It is based on PINT AE, the UAE implementation of the Peppol international billing standard, with continuous transaction controls built into the system.
That creates demand for technology that can connect businesses’ existing accounting and enterprise systems to the tax authority without forcing companies to replace their financial infrastructure. For DigiTax, the challenge will be adapting its technology to the UAE’s regulatory and technical requirements while competing for businesses that already use established accounting and enterprise software.
“We have a real advantage for businesses in the UAE because we already have a proven recipe for e-invoicing success built in international markets. It stems from three main factors: safety and security that underpins everything we do; a relentless focus on making systems as simple and easy-to-use as possible; and hiring talented people who are obsessed with customer happiness and are honest and transparent,” said Ahmed Farouk, UAE Director of DigiTax.
The company plans to expand into 10 additional international markets in 2026. Its Dubai operation is intended to serve as a base for that push, giving the company a local presence as the UAE’s e-invoicing regime moves from preparation to implementation.
