CAPITAL MARKETS-

ADX links up with Astana stock exchange: ADX and Kazakhstan’s Astana International Exchange (AIX) set up a link between their central securities depositories to boost cross-border financial and trade collaboration, according to an ADX statement (pdf). The link also aims to improve regional market integration.

ICYMI- The two exchanges signed an MoU on collaboration in 2021, which saw AIX join ADX’s Tabadul trading platform. The Kazakh exchange also established a cross-border securities link with Nasdaq Dubai earlier this year.

LOGISTICS-

DP World to manage Atlantis Dubai’s hospitality logistics: State-owned logistics giant DP World is partnering with Atlantis Dubai Resorts to manage hospitality logistics at two of its luxury resorts — Atlantis, The Palm and Atlantis The Royal, according to Dubai Media Office. DP World will manage the resorts’ daily operations and work to optimize their supply chain of nearly 60k products including perishables, dry goods, and specialty items.

DP World is also launching a new service to transport fresh produce from Morocco to the UK and Northern Europe, Dubai Media Office reports. The new sea route could cut delivery times for fruit and vegetable exports by up to two days by avoiding traffic at land crossings.

Details of the service: The Atlas service, slated to launch in November, will link Morocco’s Agadir and Casablanca hubs with DP World’s London Gateway and Antwerp Gateway terminals using two purpose-built vessels. The sea route has an annual capacity of up to 150k tons of fresh produce.

IN CONTEXT- Morocco exports over 6.5 mn metric tons of fruits and vegetables to Western Europe per year, with export trade growing over 20% annually.

HOSPITALITY-

Dubai is set to see 19 new hotels open in 2H 2025, adding around 5k rooms, Khaleej Times reports, citing consultancy Cavendish Maxwell. Most of the new supply will be in the upscale, upper-upscale, and luxury segments — which could temporarily weigh on occupancy rates. The added capacity is expected to create about 7.5k jobs, based on industry estimates of 1.5 jobs per room.

THE BACKDROP- Dubai welcomed 9.9 mn international visitors — up 6.1% y-o-y — in 1H 2025, driving hotel occupancy to 81.4% (+4.5% y-o-y) and average daily rates to AED 754.5 (+5.5%). The city’s room supply reached around 152k keys across 730 hotels by mid-2025, with two-thirds of inventory in the premium segments.

RETAIL-

Dubai Holding unifies retail portfolio under new brand: Dubai Holding Asset Management consolidated more than 40 malls and lifestyle destinations under a single brand — Dubai Retail, according to a statement. The portfolio spans 10 malls, 15 lifestyle destinations, and 18 retail centers with over 13 mn sq ft of gross leasable area and more than 6.5k retailers.

BACKGROUND- The move follows the integration of government-backed real estate firms Nakheel and Meydan into Dubai Holding last year. As part of the rebrand, Nakheel Mall has been renamed Palm Jumeirah Mall, and upcoming projects — including Al Khail Avenue, which will add 1.2 mn sq ft to the portfolio — are in the pipeline.

DEBT-

UAB gets Moody’s upgrade: Moody’s raised United Arab Bank’s (UAB) long-term and short-term deposit ratings to Baa2/P-2 from Baa3/P-3, with a stable outlook, UAB said in a statement. The agency also upgraded the bank’s baseline credit assessment to ba2 from ba3, citing stronger asset quality, profitability, and solvency, Moody’s said.

Behind the upgrade: UAB bolstered its capital base with an AED 1.0 bn rights issue and posted a 50.0% y-o-y rise in net income to AED 207.7 mn in 1H 2025, on total operating income of AED 373.5 mn and 11% asset growth. The bank’s NPL ratio fell to 2.2% in June 2025, down from 5.0% at end-2023, while loan-loss coverage improved to 148% from 98% in 2020.

ALSO FROM MOODY’S- Adnoc Murban rating affirmed at Aa2: Moody’s kept the long-term credit rating of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) Murban — Adnoc’s debt-raising arm — at Aa2 with a stable outlook, according to a statement. The rating is tied to Abu Dhabi’s sovereign grade, with Moody’s highlighting Murban’s preferential access to 22.6 bn barrels of onshore reserves and its generation of more than USD 30 bn in 2024 revenue from marketing allocated crude — despite not holding concession rights.

REAL ESTATE-

Aldar to build UAE’s first Tesla Experience Center: Abu Dhabi-based real estate developer and investor Aldar is set to build a Tesla Experience Center in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, according to an ADX disclosure (pdf). The facility will be the first of its kind in the UAE and is slated for completion by 2027.

About the center: Located on the E12 highway connecting the capital to Dubai, the 5k sqm facility will include a showroom, a service center, and a delivery hall. It will also feature 170 parking spaces and 20 V4 Tesla Supercharger stalls, and is eyeing an Estidama 3 Pearl sustainability rating.

DIGITAL ASSETS-

Crypto firm QCP secures ADGM regulatory license: Singapore-based crypto trading firm QCP Group has received full Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), in a move to bridge key markets in Asia and the Middle East, according to a press release. QCP is also licensed in Singapore and this latest approval allows it to offer regulated digital asset services in Abu Dhabi, including spot and derivatives trading, market making, and structured solutions for institutional clients.

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