Indian services firm Urban Company expands to UAE, reshuffles board

Urban Company is setting up a subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates and has announced a change in its board following its recent stock market debut.

Urban Company, an India-based home services platform, will invest 3 crore rupee (US$340,500) to establish the wholly owned UAE unit, which will be set up through its Singapore-based step-down subsidiary, Urban Home Experts Pte Limited.

The new entity will focus on general trading, supplying products to service providers on the platform, and marketing Urban Company’s branded Native products to UAE consumers.

The company also announced that Vamsi Krishna Duvvuri, previously a nominee director for investor VY Capital, has been redesignated as a non-executive, non-independent director.

Urban Company reported a net loss of 59.3 crore rupee (US$672,000) in Q2 FY2026, up from 1.8 crore rupee (US$204,300) a year earlier, with revenue rising 37% year-on-year to 380 crore rupee (US$4.31 million).

The company’s IPO in September was the most subscribed in India this year, with shares listing at over a 57% premium.

🔗 Source: YourStory

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

UAE unit set up amid growing beauty e-commerce

Urban Company has formed a UAE subsidiary as the cosmetics market reaches $395.43 million in 2025 and is set to hit $487.34 million by 2030 at a 4.27% CAGR 1. The unit will do general trading, supply service providers, plus market Native products 2. Native, the in-house brand, includes water purifiers launched in 2023 plus electronic door locks in 2024 2.
During 9M FY2025, 13.8% of revenue from operations came from overseas markets that include the UAE 3. The prospectus leaves out UAE-specific revenue plus Native margins 3. A Rs 3 crore spend signals a small test and not an aggressive entry.
Middle East e-commerce is set to reach $50 billion by 2025 4; Urban Company’s 48,169 monthly active service professionals in 9M FY2025 3 could help last-mile (from local hubs to consumers) reach in MENA where delivery is uneven 4.

Cross-border beauty creates openings for logistics and payments firms

Across MENA, 91% of people have bought online, while UAE internet access sits near 100% 4. That lifts demand for cross-border enablement platforms that serve brands entering the market 4.
Fintech and logistics firms can find openings as the UAE draws shoppers with duty-free buying, and a value-added tax (VAT) refund for e-commerce tourist purchases starts in June 2025 1. Payment orchestration (software that routes, retries, and reconciles transactions across multiple payment processors) will matter. Compliance automation will too. The UAE holds 29.3% of the Middle East and Africa cosmetics market 5, which concentrates volume in one set of rules.
Beauty tech vendors can tap UAE shoppers using augmented reality (AR) virtual try-ons plus AI-driven personalization 1. Many buyers want halal-certified (permissible under Islamic law) goods, and the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority will regulate products that claim halal status by 2025 1.