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Industry: General Trading

General Trading ERP UAE | Import, Export & Wholesale

FTA-compliant ERP for UAE general trading. LPO/PO, multi-currency, customs duty, multi-warehouse & VAT — built for mainland, JAFZA & DMCC.

The problem

We've lived your three biggest headaches.

01

LPOs trapped in email threads

Customers send Local Purchase Orders over email or WhatsApp. Your team manually copies line items into a spreadsheet or accounting system, introduces errors, misses items, and cannot track fulfilment status against the original PO. When a customer queries a delivery shortfall three weeks later, nobody can reconcile what was promised versus what was shipped.

02

Inventory split across warehouses with no live view

Stock sits in JAFZA, Al Quoz, and a third-party logistics hub simultaneously. Each location tracks in its own spreadsheet. When a salesperson quotes 'in stock', they are guessing. Double-selling, short-shipping, and costly emergency transfers are the result.

03

Free zone and mainland entities running on separate books

Your JAFZA or DMCC entity and your mainland DED company share suppliers, products, and customers — but operate as separate sets of accounts that nobody ever consolidates. Intercompany invoicing happens by email. Designated-zone VAT treatment is applied inconsistently. The consolidated picture only exists in an annual audit spreadsheet.

04

Landed cost posted wrongly or not at all

Import shipments arrive with customs duty, freight, and clearance agent fees that need to land in cost of goods. Without a landed-cost module, teams ignore these costs (inflating paper margins) or allocate them manually (time-consuming and error-prone). Profitability reporting is wrong before a single invoice is raised.

05

Multi-currency chaos at month-end

You buy in USD, EUR, and CNY. You sell in AED, SAR, and BHD. Exchange-rate movements create unexplained variances in your gross margin reports. Manual FX entry in your accounting system misses transactions and produces a balance sheet that your accountant reconciles for days every quarter.

06

Customs duty mechanics misunderstood or miscoded

Calculating the correct duty requires the right HS code, the correct CIF-basis value, and awareness of goods-specific rates or exemptions. Without a structured import register, duty is either missed entirely or posted as a lump-sum expense with no link to the individual GRN lines it should be costing.

07

VAT on imports: zero-rating, reverse charge, and standard rate mixed

Some imports are standard-rated at 5%. Transfers between designated zones may be out of scope. Re-exports may be zero-rated. Your finance team manually tags each transaction — and gets it wrong often enough that your VAT 201 submission requires manual correction before filing every quarter.

08

B2B customer credit risk is unmanaged

You extend credit to wholesale customers without a system to enforce limits. Accounts run 120+ days overdue while the sales team keeps shipping. When you finally stop credit, you have damaged the relationship and are still owed significant sums with no automated chase process.

The UAE general trading sector

One of the most complex trading environments in the world

UAE general-trading companies operate under a single trade licence covering dozens of product categories — FMCG, electronics, fashion, industrial goods, cosmetics, and more. They deal in multiple currencies, manage warehouses across free zones and the mainland, raise LPOs and POs in Arabic and English, and must post every import with the correct HS code and applicable customs duty. Many operate simultaneously from JAFZA, DMCC, or other free zones and a mainland DED entity — each carrying different VAT, customs, and corporate-tax obligations. FTA VAT compliance is non-negotiable, and UAE Corporate Tax (9% on taxable income above AED 375,000 under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022) adds another reporting layer. SYW is purpose-built for the way UAE general-trading companies actually operate — not retrofitted from a single-country accounting package.

5%
UAE VAT on standard-rated supplies (Federal Decree-Law 8/2017)
9%
UAE Corporate Tax on taxable income above AED 375,000
15+
Currencies supported in SYW multi-currency ledger
AED 0
Additional cost for FTA e-invoicing readiness
Measurable business impact

What general-trading companies gain from SYW

Fewer
Manual PO data-entry errors
LPO-to-sales-order automation eliminates manual re-keying. Three-way matching catches discrepancies before payment — not during an audit.
Faster
Month-end close
Bank reconciliation, VAT 201 compilation, and FX revaluation run automatically. Finance teams using SYW can shorten month-end close by consolidating ledgers, FX, and VAT in one place.
100%
Stock visibility across all warehouses
Real-time inventory with reservation logic — across free-zone and mainland locations — eliminates double-selling and emergency transfers driven by inaccurate stock figures.
Clearer
Gross-margin visibility
Landed cost allocated per SKU means margin reports reflect actual economics including duty, freight, and clearance fees. Surface margin leaks hidden in landed cost and FX.
The cost of staying on spreadsheets

What disconnected systems really cost a general-trading business

These costs rarely appear on a line in your P&L — but they compound every month.

Manual LPO re-entry

A customer sends a 40-line LPO by email. Your admin copies it into the accounting system. 30 minutes of error-prone data entry, every order, every customer.

~30 min per LPO

FX reconciliation at month-end

Finance manually computes unrealised FX on open USD and EUR balances because the accounting software does not auto-revalue. One senior accountant, two days, every month.

~2 days/month

Intercompany reconciliation — free zone vs mainland

Your JAFZA entity sold goods to your mainland entity. Three months later nobody can reconcile the intercompany balance because it was tracked in a shared spreadsheet that two people updated independently.

Quarterly audit cost

Emergency stock transfers

A salesperson commits to stock that sits in the wrong warehouse because there is no live consolidated view. Emergency transfers cost driver time and delay customer deliveries.

Avoidable with real-time inventory

VAT 201 manual compilation

Your accountant exports invoices, imports, and bank transactions into a spreadsheet to produce the VAT 201 return. Errors require an FTA voluntary disclosure — which carries its own administrative cost.

Risk: FTA penalties

Uncollected receivables

Without automated dunning, B2B customers pay late because nobody chased them. A long-outstanding AR balance represents a material hidden financing cost per customer.

Hidden financing cost
What's included

Pre-built for how general trading actually works.

Purchasing & Supplier Management

Purchase Order Management

Create POs in AED, USD, EUR, CNY, SAR, or any supported currency with full product-line detail, supplier terms, and delivery schedules. Three-way matching links every supplier invoice against the originating PO and the goods-receipt note — discrepancies are flagged before payment is approved. Approval workflows enforce authorisation limits per employee grade.

Goods Receipt & Quality Check

Receive shipments against open POs line by line. Record actual quantities received, rejected units, and condition notes. Partial receipts update the outstanding balance on the PO automatically. Stock levels increment only after goods are confirmed accepted — no phantom inventory from unconfirmed deliveries.

Supplier Ledger & Payables

Full accounts-payable sub-ledger per supplier. Advances, partial payments, credit notes, and debit notes all reconciled against open invoices. Ageing analysis shows what is current, 30, 60, and 90+ days due — in the supplier's currency with AED equivalent at the transaction-date exchange rate.

Landed Cost Allocation

Add freight, customs duty, port handling, and clearance agent fees to every import shipment. Landed costs are spread across SKUs on the GRN — by value, weight, or volume — and flow directly into unit cost of goods. Margin reports reflect the real economics of each product line, not just the supplier invoice price. Confirm the applicable duty rate and any HS-code-specific rates with your clearing agent before final posting.

Bilingual Supplier Documents

POs, GRN acknowledgements, and debit notes generated in both Arabic and English. UAE government procurement customers and regulated suppliers often require Arabic-language documents. SYW generates both in a single action — no manual translation, no parallel document management.

Sales, Quotes & Customer Accounts

Quote-to-Invoice Pipeline

Raise customer quotations with multi-currency pricing, tiered discount structures, and product-group subtotals. Customer accepts → quotation converts to a sales order in one click → picking list generated → goods dispatched → VAT invoice issued on delivery confirmation. Every step linked, every status visible to sales and finance simultaneously.

LPO (Local Purchase Order) Capture

Import customer LPOs from PDF, email attachment, or manual entry. Line items mapped to your SKU catalogue. LPO reference number printed on every delivery note and invoice for easy reconciliation by the customer's AP team. Outstanding LPO fulfilment tracked against each delivery.

Customer Credit Limits & AR

Per-customer credit limits enforced at order entry — orders exceeding available credit are held for finance approval before the warehouse picks. Automated dunning sequences send payment reminders via email and WhatsApp at 7, 14, and 30 days past due. Accounts can be placed on automatic hold until outstanding balances are cleared.

B2B Customer Portal

Wholesale customers log in to view their account balance, download invoices and statements, check order status, and place repeat orders directly against their negotiated price list. Reduces WhatsApp and phone order traffic. Customers with multiple branches each see only their own account.

Multi-Tier Price Lists

Define unlimited price lists by customer segment, volume bracket, or product category. A hotel-chain customer sees different unit prices than a retail reseller for the same SKU. Price lists can be maintained in AED or any foreign currency and update automatically when the base price changes.

Multi-Currency Invoicing & FX Revaluation

Issue invoices in the customer's preferred currency — AED, USD, EUR, SAR, or any supported currency. The AED equivalent is calculated at the transaction-date exchange rate and posted to the general ledger. At month-end, open foreign-currency receivables, payables, and bank accounts are automatically revalued at the closing rate. Unrealised FX gains and losses post to a dedicated ledger account — your finance team stops manually computing currency variances every quarter.

Inventory & Warehousing

Multi-Warehouse Inventory

Real-time stock levels per SKU across every warehouse location — JAFZA free zone, DMCC, mainland Dubai, Abu Dhabi, third-party 3PL. Each location is tagged as free zone or mainland so VAT and customs treatment can be applied correctly. Reservation logic prevents double-selling: confirmed sales orders ring-fence stock immediately.

Inter-Warehouse Transfers

Raise transfer orders to move stock between locations including between free-zone and mainland warehouses. Transfer-in-transit quantity is tracked separately so neither source nor destination inflates available stock during transit. Full transfer history retained for stock audit and shrinkage analysis.

Batch & Serial Number Tracking

Track imported goods by batch or serial number from the supplier GRN through every warehouse movement to the final customer delivery note. Critical for electronics (IMEI and serial tracking, warranty, grey-market compliance), FMCG (expiry dates, batch recalls), and cosmetics. Full traceability from origin to end-customer.

Reorder Alerts & Auto-PO Suggestions

Set minimum and maximum stock levels per SKU per warehouse. When stock falls below the minimum the system flags the item and suggests a replenishment PO pre-populated with the preferred supplier, standard quantity, and last purchase price. Your buyer reviews and approves — no item runs to zero unnoticed.

Multi-Category Product Catalogue

Organise your product catalogue across unlimited categories — electronics, FMCG, textiles, industrial, cosmetics. Each SKU carries its own unit of measure, HS code for customs declarations, VAT treatment (standard, zero, exempt), and landed-cost allocation method. One system for every category you trade.

Barcode Scanning & Picking

Warehouse staff scan barcodes or QR codes during goods receipt, bin putaway, picking, and dispatch. Scanning prevents mis-picks and confirms exact quantities moved. Works on any Android mobile device — no dedicated barcode hardware required.

Free Zone & Mainland Operations

Free Zone vs. Mainland Entity Management

Operate your JAFZA, DMCC, RAKEZ, or other free-zone entity and your DED mainland company within the same platform. Each entity maintains its own chart of accounts and VAT registration while sharing product catalogue, supplier records, and customer data. Intercompany invoicing between free-zone and mainland entities is tracked as a first-class transaction.

Designated-Zone VAT Treatment

Goods held in a UAE designated zone and transferred to another designated zone may be treated as outside the scope of UAE VAT under certain conditions set out in Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 and FTA guidance. SYW records the warehouse zone classification on each inventory location so your tax adviser can verify treatment per transaction. Always confirm designated-zone VAT rules for your specific zone and goods type with a UAE tax adviser.

Customs Bond & Bonded Stock Register

Maintain a register of goods held under customs bond in bonded warehouses — duty suspended pending re-export or entry to mainland. Bond quantities tracked separately from cleared stock. When goods are released from bond for mainland sale, the duty liability is triggered and posted to the landed-cost module. Verify current bond procedures with your JAFZA or FCA-registered clearing agent.

Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) Income Tracking

Under UAE Corporate Tax Law, Qualifying Free Zone Persons may be eligible for a 0% rate on qualifying income and 9% on non-qualifying income. SYW can tag revenue streams by source entity so your tax adviser can assess QFZP qualification and produce the income segregation schedules required for the CT return. Qualification conditions are defined in the CT law — confirm with a UAE tax adviser.

Import, Export & Customs

Import Shipment Register

Log every import shipment with supplier, origin country, HS codes, declared CIF value, and estimated customs duty. Link each shipment to the originating PO. Shipment register provides a real-time view of goods in transit and expected landed cost before goods arrive at port.

Customs Duty Tracking

Record actual customs duty, port charges, and clearance agent fees per shipment as separate cost components. These costs feed directly into the landed-cost module and attach to the correct GRN lines. Most UAE mainland imports attract ad valorem duty calculated on the CIF value under the GCC Common External Tariff — specific rates vary by HS code; verify with your clearing agent for each shipment.

Re-Export & Zero-Rating

Tag sales orders as re-exports. The system applies zero-rated VAT treatment and generates the documentary evidence required to support the zero-rating claim — export declaration reference, export confirmation, and customer destination. Audit trail maintained per transaction for FTA review.

GCC Regional Trade

Support for cross-GCC trading with Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain — multi-entity structures, SAR and BHD currency, and awareness of GCC Common External Tariff origin rules. Saudi ZATCA e-invoicing requirements apply to your Saudi entity; SYW's e-invoicing architecture aligns with PINT-based standards to ease that path. Confirm country-specific VAT rules with your local adviser in each GCC state.

Sector Verticals

FMCG Distribution

Batch tracking with expiry-date management for food, beverage, and FMCG goods. Route-to-market sales rep ordering, van-sales support, and retailer-specific price lists. Salesman productivity tracked by call rate, order conversion, and revenue per route. Expiry-date alerts prevent near-expiry stock from being sold at full price.

Electronics & Spare Parts Trading

Serial number and IMEI tracking from supplier GRN to end-customer invoice. Warranty period tracked per serial number. Grey-market compliance documentation linked to import shipment. Returns handled against original serial number with full history. Consignment stock from brand principals tracked separately from owned stock.

Industrial & Multi-Category Trading

Unlimited product categories under a single general-trading licence — textiles, construction materials, cosmetics, industrial equipment, and more. Each category carries its own HS codes, VAT treatment, and supplier terms without category-specific modules or add-ons.

Accounting, VAT & Corporate Tax

Full Double-Entry General Ledger

Every transaction — sales invoice, supplier payment, landed cost, FX revaluation, payroll — posts to the general ledger automatically. Run a complete income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statement at any time without exporting to a separate accounting package.

UAE VAT Invoicing & Credit Notes

5% VAT applied correctly on every invoice with TRN validation, reverse-charge flagging for qualifying imports, and zero-rating for qualifying re-exports and free-zone supplies. Credit notes and debit notes linked to the originating invoice. PINT-AE e-invoicing readiness built in for the FTA mandate.

VAT 201 Return

Auto-compiled VAT 201 return drawn directly from your ledger transactions. Broken down by emirate, by supply type, and by import/acquisition category. Download, review, and submit to FTA — eliminates the monthly scramble of manually collating figures from invoicing, purchasing, and bank.

Bank Reconciliation

Import statements from any UAE bank and auto-match to ledger entries by amount and date. Unmatched items are surfaced for review with suggested matches. Reconcile all UAE bank accounts — including USD and EUR accounts held at UAE banks — in minutes per account per month.

Corporate Tax Support

UAE Corporate Tax (9% on taxable income above AED 375,000 per Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022) coverage including small business relief eligibility tracking, qualifying free-zone income segregation for QFZP assessment, and transfer-pricing documentation for related-party supplier transactions. Built for UAE CT law, not retrofitted from a UK or US framework.

CRM & B2B Sales

B2B Lead & Account Pipeline

Track every wholesale enquiry from first contact through RFQ, negotiation, sample request, and first order. Accounts panel shows the full relationship history — all quotes raised, orders placed, invoices paid, and support interactions — in one view.

Sales Rep Performance

Revenue, margin, number of orders, new accounts opened, and collection rate — per sales rep. Rank reps by actual profitability, not just revenue. Identify which reps are growing low-margin volume and which are building high-value account relationships.

Customer Purchase History & Analytics

See exactly what each customer has bought, at what price, and in what volumes — by month, quarter, or year. Identify customers whose order frequency is declining before they churn. Spot upsell opportunities across the categories you trade.

WhatsApp & Email Campaigns

Send promotions, new-product announcements, and price-list updates to segmented customer groups via WhatsApp broadcast or email campaign. Target by industry vertical, purchase history, or geographic location. Full delivery and open-rate analytics per campaign.

Fleet & Delivery

Delivery Route Optimisation

Today's delivery stops sequenced by truck for minimum drive time across Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. Driver app shows each stop with delivery address, contact number, and items to deliver. OTIF (on-time-in-full) tracked per customer.

Proof of Delivery

Driver captures customer signature and a photo of the delivered goods at each stop. Proof-of-delivery is linked to the sales order, delivery note, and invoice automatically. When a customer disputes a delivery, the signed POD is one click away.

Salik & Delivery Cost Tracking

Salik toll charges allocated per route and per delivery. Fuel consumption tracked per vehicle. Delivery cost per order calculated and visible alongside the order margin — so you can see whether small-order deliveries are profitable after transport costs.

Vehicle Compliance Alerts

Istimara registration, third-party insurance, and RTA inspection expiry tracked with automated alerts at 90, 60, and 30 days. Never operate an unregistered vehicle on a customer delivery.

HR & Payroll

WPS Payroll

SIF file export formatted for the UAE Wage Protection System. Commission structures for sales staff, allowances for drivers and warehouse staff, and overtime calculated at UAE Labour Law rates — all in a single payroll run.

EOSB Calculator

End-of-service gratuity calculated automatically per UAE Labour Law: 21 days per year for the first five years, 30 days per year thereafter. EOSB provision posted to the general ledger monthly — your liability is always reflected in the accounts.

Document Expiry Tracking

Visa, Emirates ID, passport, and labour card expiry tracked for every employee. Alerts at 90, 60, and 30 days before expiry. Warehouse staff or drivers with expired visas cannot be rostered until documents are renewed.

Emiratisation Compliance

Monitor your nationalisation ratios in real-time with alerts before you fall below mandatory thresholds. Nafis contribution calculations tracked automatically. General-trading companies above the headcount threshold for Emiratisation targets are fully supported.

How it works

Four steps. End to end.

01

Supplier PO & Import

Raise a purchase order to your overseas supplier in their currency. Log the import shipment with HS codes, CIF value, estimated customs duty, and freight. When the GRN is posted, landed costs allocate to each SKU line — real cost of goods from day one, regardless of which warehouse receives the stock.

02

Stock Available Across Warehouses

Received goods are visible in real-time inventory across all your warehouse locations — free zone and mainland. Sales team can see what is available before quoting. Free-zone stock is tagged with its zone so the correct VAT treatment is applied at the point of sale. Minimum-stock alerts trigger the next replenishment PO before you run out.

03

Quote, LPO, and Delivery

Customer sends an LPO or accepts a quote. Sales order created, picking list generated, goods dispatched with a signed delivery note. Multi-currency invoice issued on delivery sign-off with correct VAT treatment — standard, zero-rated, or out-of-scope depending on the transaction. Credit limit enforced automatically.

04

Finance Closes Without Scrambling

VAT 201 compiled from ledger data. FX balances revalued at month-end closing rates with unrealised gains/losses posted automatically. Supplier payables reconciled against GRNs. Bank accounts matched. Full P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow available — without exporting anything to a separate accounting package.

UAE compliance included

Outputs your inspectors + customers expect.

FTA VAT tax invoice (TRN, line-item VAT, credit notes) — Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017VAT 201 return — standard, zero-rated, exempt, and out-of-scope suppliesPINT-AE e-invoicing readiness for FTA mandateUAE Corporate Tax — small business relief + qualifying free-zone income segregationDesignated-zone VAT treatment tracking (confirm with tax adviser per zone)Customs duty and landed cost documentation per shipmentWPS SIF payroll fileEOSB provision in general ledgerBilingual Arabic-English purchase orders and invoicesProof of delivery with customer signatureRe-export zero-rating documentary trailIntercompany invoicing — free zone to mainland entities
UAE regulatory landscape

What every general-trading company must comply with

UAE VAT — Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017

General-trading companies with taxable supplies above AED 375,000 per year must register for VAT. Standard rate is 5% on most goods. Re-exports, certain free-zone transactions, and specific goods categories may be zero-rated or exempt. Designated-zone transfers may be outside scope — confirm with a UAE tax adviser for your specific zone and goods. VAT 201 returns filed quarterly or monthly depending on turnover.

FTA E-Invoicing Mandate (PINT-AE)

The FTA has issued direction for a UAE e-invoicing mandate under the PINT-AE standard. The rollout is expected to phase in by business size and sector — check FTA.gov.ae for the current mandatory effective dates applicable to your business. General-trading companies should prepare now: SYW is built to generate PINT-AE compliant invoices without system changes when the mandate applies.

UAE Customs Duty (GCC Common External Tariff)

Most goods imported into the UAE mainland attract ad valorem customs duty calculated on the CIF (cost, insurance, freight) value under the GCC Common External Tariff. Specific goods categories may attract different rates or exemptions — verify the HS code classification and applicable rate with your clearing agent before each import. Free-zone bonded imports may be duty-deferred pending re-export or mainland release. Confirm current rates with the UAE Federal Customs Authority (fca.gov.ae).

General Trading Licence (DED / Free Zone Authority)

A general-trading commercial licence from DED Dubai or the relevant free-zone authority (JAFZA, DMCC, RAKEZ, etc.) allows trading in multiple product categories under a single licence. Products must be listed on the licence activity. Import/export requires a separate import/export code from UAE Customs. Free-zone licences carry their own operating restrictions — confirm scope with the issuing authority.

UAE Corporate Tax — Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022

UAE Corporate Tax at 9% applies to taxable income above AED 375,000 for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023. Small business relief may be available below the threshold. Qualifying Free Zone Persons (QFZP) may be eligible for a 0% rate on qualifying income — the definition of qualifying income is specific and narrow; confirm with a UAE CT adviser. General-trading companies operating in both free zones and mainland must track and segregate income correctly.

Designated Zone Rules (FTA VAT Guidance)

Designated zones are specific free zones listed by the UAE Cabinet that are treated as outside the UAE for VAT purposes on goods (not services) under certain conditions. Not all free zones are designated zones. Transfers of goods between two designated zones, and certain transfers between a designated zone and outside the UAE, may be outside the scope of VAT. Transfers from a designated zone to the UAE mainland are generally treated as imports and subject to VAT. Confirm applicable treatment with a UAE-registered tax adviser.

Emiratisation & WPS

General-trading companies meeting the private-sector Emiratisation headcount threshold must comply with mandatory nationalisation ratios and Nafis contribution requirements. All employees must be paid via the Wage Protection System with a monthly SIF file submitted to MoHRE through a participating UAE bank.

How we compare

See the difference side by side.

FeatureSYWOdoo EnterpriseSAP Business OneMicrosoft Dynamics 365 BCOracle NetSuiteFocus SoftnetZoho Books / Inventory
LPO capture & fulfilment trackingNative — LPO linked to SO, delivery note, and invoicePossible via customisation; not nativeRequires configuration by resellerPossible with customisationRequires configurationSupported in trading moduleManual workaround only
Landed cost with customs duty allocationBuilt-in per-shipment — duty, freight, clearance feesAvailable via Stock Landed Costs moduleSupported in purchasing moduleSupported via item chargesSupported in OneWorldSupported in distribution moduleNot available in base product
Free zone & mainland multi-entitySingle platform — JAFZA/DMCC + mainland in one systemMulti-company available; zone-specific rules require setupMulti-entity via add-on; zone rules require localisationMulti-entity supported; UAE zone rules via partnerOneWorld handles multi-entity; strong for free zonesMulti-branch supported; zone specifics varySingle entity only in base plan
UAE VAT 201 + PINT-AE e-invoicing readinessAuto-compiled 201; PINT-AE ready built-inUAE VAT via localisation module; e-invoicing roadmapUAE localisation via reseller; e-invoicing add-onUAE localisation via partner; e-invoicing via partnerUAE VAT supported; e-invoicing requires configurationUAE VAT native; e-invoicing supportedUAE VAT supported; e-invoicing add-on
Multi-currency with auto FX revaluationFull FX — revaluation, realised/unrealised P&L automatedMulti-currency with revaluationMulti-currency with revaluationMulti-currency with revaluationFull multi-currency with auto revaluationMulti-currency supportedMulti-currency; revaluation limited in lower plans
WPS payroll — SIF fileIncluded — SIF file, commissions, allowancesVia third-party HR module or integrationVia SAP HR or third-party integrationVia Dynamics HR or third-party integrationVia SuitePeople or third-party integrationHR and payroll module availableNot included — separate Zoho Payroll product
Arabic-English bilingual documentsAll documents bilingual, RTL Arabic, no add-onArabic UI and RTL availableArabic available via localisationArabic available via Microsoft localisationArabic available; RTL supportArabic documents supportedArabic UI available
B2B customer portal with price listsIncluded — multi-tier pricing, order placement, AR self-serviceVia eCommerce or Portal moduleRequires add-on or integrationVia Business Central portal extensionCustomer Center portal availableVaries by implementationSeparate Zoho Commerce product required
Built for UAE general trading — not retrofitted

Why generic accounting software fails general traders

Arabic is a first-class language

Every document — purchase order, sales invoice, delivery note, statement of account — is generated in bilingual Arabic and English, RTL-correct, with no manual translation step. UAE government customers and suppliers require Arabic documentation. Most international software treats Arabic as an afterthought add-on.

Free zone and mainland in one platform

JAFZA, DMCC, or RAKEZ free-zone entity and your DED mainland company in the same system. Intercompany invoicing, stock transfers between zones, designated-zone VAT tagging, and QFZP income segregation — all handled without running parallel books or exporting data between two systems.

Customs duty is built into cost accounting

Landed-cost allocation is not a plugin or a workaround journal — it is part of the core receiving workflow. Customs duty, freight, and clearance fees attach to every shipment and flow into unit cost automatically. Generic software requires manual journal entries that your team will forget half the time.

LPO is a real workflow, not a note field

UAE B2B commerce runs on Local Purchase Orders. SYW treats LPO capture, fulfilment tracking, and reconciliation as a first-class workflow — not a reference number typed into a notes field. The LPO number appears on every downstream document so the customer's AP team can match without calling you.

VAT is UAE-specific, not generic

The UAE VAT 201 boxes, reverse-charge mechanism for imports, designated-zone out-of-scope rules, and PINT-AE e-invoicing format are built in — not added as a regional plugin by a third-party consultant. You do not need to pay for implementation to make the tax engine work correctly.

One system — no integration tax

Inventory, purchasing, sales, accounting, payroll, fleet, and CRM in a single platform. No API connectors to break. No monthly integration-maintenance fees. No data lag between your warehouse system and your accounting system. Everything posts in real time to the same ledger.

FAQ

Common questions.

Can SYW manage both JAFZA or DMCC free-zone and mainland entities in one system?

Yes. Each entity — whether a JAFZA, DMCC, RAKEZ, or DED mainland company — maintains its own chart of accounts, VAT registration, and reporting while sharing the same product catalogue, supplier master, and customer master. Intercompany invoicing between free-zone and mainland entities is tracked as a formal transaction. You get a consolidated view across all entities without running separate software for each.

How does multi-currency revaluation work at month-end?

Purchase orders and supplier invoices are raised in the supplier's currency. Sales invoices can be issued in AED or any supported foreign currency. All transactions post to the general ledger in AED at the transaction-date exchange rate. At month-end, open foreign-currency balances — receivables, payables, and bank accounts — are automatically revalued at the closing rate. The resulting unrealised FX gain or loss posts to a dedicated ledger account without manual journal intervention.

Does SYW calculate landed cost including customs duty and freight per shipment?

Yes. You record customs duty, freight, port charges, and clearance agent fees as separate cost components against each import shipment. The landed-cost module spreads these charges across the GRN lines — by value, weight, or volume — and updates the unit cost of goods for each SKU. Your margin reports reflect all import costs, not just the supplier invoice price. The applicable duty rate depends on the HS code and any goods-specific rules; confirm the rate with your clearing agent before final posting.

How does VAT work for goods transferred between designated zones?

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 and FTA guidance, goods transferred between designated zones may be treated as outside the scope of UAE VAT under specific conditions. SYW records the zone classification of each warehouse location so your transactions carry the right metadata for your tax adviser to verify the treatment. Because the conditions are fact-specific, we recommend confirming the VAT treatment for your particular goods and zones with a UAE-registered tax adviser.

Is SYW compliant with UAE Corporate Tax (9%) reporting?

SYW supports the tracking requirements for UAE Corporate Tax under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 — including small business relief eligibility monitoring (taxable income threshold above AED 375,000), qualifying free-zone income segregation for QFZP assessment, and transfer-pricing documentation for related-party transactions. The system produces the income breakdowns your tax adviser needs to prepare the CT return. Confirm your specific relief eligibility and QFZP qualification with a UAE CT adviser.

How does the system handle UAE customs duty on imports?

You record the actual customs duty, freight, and clearance agent fees against each import shipment. Most UAE mainland imports attract ad valorem duty calculated on the CIF value under the GCC Common External Tariff, though specific rates vary by HS code and certain goods categories carry different rates or exemptions. SYW attaches the duty cost to the correct GRN lines so it flows into landed cost and unit cost of goods. Verify the applicable rate per HS code with your clearing agent.

What is the difference between a designated zone and a free zone for VAT purposes?

A free zone is a geographic area with specific economic incentives. A designated zone is a subset of free zones specifically listed by the UAE Cabinet under the VAT law — goods within designated zones may be treated as outside the UAE for VAT purposes under certain conditions. Not all free zones are designated zones. SYW records the zone type for each warehouse location; your tax adviser can then confirm the applicable VAT treatment for transfers into, out of, and between those locations.

Does SYW support GCC trade with Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain?

Yes. SYW supports SAR, BHD, OMR, and other GCC currencies with full multi-currency invoicing and FX revaluation. Multi-entity structures allow a UAE entity and a Saudi or Bahrain entity to share data. Saudi Arabia's ZATCA e-invoicing mandate applies to Saudi-registered entities; SYW's PINT-based e-invoicing architecture is designed to align with these standards. Confirm country-specific VAT registration thresholds and e-invoicing obligations with a local adviser in each GCC jurisdiction.

Can customers submit LPOs electronically rather than by email?

Yes. The B2B customer portal allows wholesale customers to log in, view their negotiated price list, and place orders directly — generating a sales order in SYW without any manual re-entry. For customers who still send PDF LPOs by email, the LPO can be imported and mapped to the product catalogue.

How long does ERP implementation take for a UAE trading company?

Implementation timelines depend on the number of entities, complexity of product catalogue, historical data migration, and integration requirements. A single-entity general-trading company with a clean data set typically goes live in eight to twelve weeks. Multi-entity or multi-zone configurations with intercompany workflows take longer. SYW provides a structured onboarding process with a dedicated implementation team.

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We onboard every tenant personally — usually within 2 working days. No self-serve trial; we make sure the fit is right first.