Standard Chartered has opened Dubai's first dedicated SME Banking Centre in Jebel Ali.

It was inaugurated by CEO of Standard Chartered, UAE Nigel Jones, senior vice-president, Commercial Sales, Jafza, Ibrahim Al Janahi, and head of Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered, UAE and Oman, Owen Belman.

The new centre heralds the bank's next phase of its strategy to further grow and develop this key market segment, said an official spokesman.

'Standard Chartered is a leading player and has acquired a sizeable market share in the SME sector in the UAE in just under three years, and our customer portfolio has grown by more than 400 per cent in that period,' said Jones.

Jebel Ali - site to more than 6,000 businesses and the prominent leading free-zone in the emirate's economic landscape - was the preferred strategic home for the Standard Chartered SME Banking Centre, due to the bank's large customer presence and the potential to develop the business further in the area.

'As one of the leading and fastest-growing free zones in the world, Jafza has firmly established itself as the international business hub of the Middle East,' said CEO Jafza and Economic Zones World Salma Hareb.

Standard Chartered's strong growth in the SME market has been achieved by capitalising on its global capabilities and experience combined with its deep local market expertise to offer an unparalleled product mix. This includes the award-winning 'Straight2Bank' - an online banking platform for all business needs that can be accessed 24 four hours a day. Trade Arabia News Service