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The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan UAE Chapter convened finance, tax, compliance and technology professionals at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi for a full-day boot camp that examined the practical and strategic implications of the transition to structured electronic invoicing. Abdulla Al Bastaki, chief executive officer of the information technology sector at the Federal Tax Authority, led discussions on the UAE’s e-invoicing journey and its integration into broader tax administration modernisation. Federal Tax Authority representatives joined the session, enabling direct engagement with the regulator at a time when businesses are assessing system readiness ahead of phased compliance deadlines.
According to the Federal Tax Authority, voluntary adoption of the electronic invoicing system begins on 1 July 2026, with mandatory application for businesses generating annual revenue of AED 50 million or more commencing on 1 January 2027. A subsequent wave will extend the requirement to smaller VAT-registered entities by 1 July 2027, while government bodies must comply from 1 October 2027. The authority’s guidelines frame the initiative as a tool to reduce manual intervention, optimise operational costs and strengthen VAT compliance across the economy.
Technical sessions at the event explored regulatory preparation, internal controls and technology integration, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan reported. Muhammad Aaliyan, managing partner at ADEPTS Chartered Accountants, together with associate director Vikash Bhuwania, addressed tax and regulatory considerations that organisations should evaluate during implementation planning. Muhammad Rizwan Khan, senior partner and global compliance head at AJMS Global, emphasised the need to embed new requirements into governance structures and cross-functional processes rather than treating them as isolated tax obligations.
Sangmesh Hiremath, co-founder and chief executive officer of Marmin AI, demonstrated the end-to-end journey of an e-invoice and showcased an accredited service provider platform, illustrating data flows between businesses and the Federal Tax Authority. Participants heard that successful adoption demands collaboration among finance, information technology, compliance and senior leadership teams to review existing systems, data architecture and controls. The boot camp positioned e-invoicing as both a compliance obligation and an opportunity for finance-function transformation.
The Federal Tax Authority has stated that the system will enhance transparency, improve data accuracy and support sustainability objectives by minimising paper-based processes. Assessments referenced by the authority indicate that properly implemented e-invoicing can reduce invoice processing costs by approximately 66 percent, while helping to curb VAT leakage that has been a focus since the tax was introduced in 2018. With 82 percent of UAE businesses classified as micro-enterprises with turnover below AED 3 million, the authority has stressed the importance of affordable technology solutions that level the playing field through automation.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, Shafqat Ali Khan, attended as chief guest and highlighted the longstanding economic partnership between the two countries along with the role played by Pakistani chartered accountants in UAE finance and leadership positions. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan noted that more than 1,000 of its members currently work across the emirates, contributing to sectors that benefit from the professional development and regulator engagement provided by the UAE chapter. Asif Iqbal, chairman of the ICAP UAE Chapter, and Yasir Gadit, council member and chairman of the overseas chapters committee, opened the proceedings.
