Good morning, friends, and happy FRIDAY. We’ve made it to the end of the week — and month — and our gift for making it through is a long, four-day weekend in celebration of UAE national day.

Are you flying out for the long weekend — or a couple of weeks later for the Christmas holidays? Make sure to account for the seasonal travel rush, which this year will likely see more than 10 mn passengers pass through Dubai International Airport until the end of the year, with an average of over 294k passengers expected every day.

If you’re staying put, you’ll be glad to know parking will be gratis during the Eid Al Etihad holiday — except for the multi-story car parks and Al Khail Gate N-365, according to a statement from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. As for public transport timings, here is the schedule for the long weekend:

Holiday service hours for Dubai Metro (Red + Green):

  • On Saturday, the metro will run from 5am to 1am;
  • On Sunday, it will run from 8am to 1am;
  • On Monday and Tuesday, it will run from 5am to 1am.

For Dubai Tram:

  • On Saturday, the tram will run from 6am to 1am;
  • On Sunday, it will run from 9am to 1am;
  • On Monday and Tuesday, it will run from 6am to 1am.

**A QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTE- EnterpriseAM UAE will also be off on Monday and Tuesday, and will be back in your inbox at the usual hour on Wednesday morning.

Today’s issue is heavy on M&A news, with AD Ports selling its stake in NMDC to Alpha Dhabi, and GulfNav sealing its long-pending acquisition of Brooge’s energy assets. Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi, Taqa and Dubal Holding are taking over Emirates Global Aluminium’s water and power generation assets, with plans to upgrade EGA’s interconnection capacity to the grid and give it more access to clean energy down the line.

WEATHER- The mercury peaks at 29°C today in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi before cooling to 19°C, according to our favorite weather app.

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PSAs-

#1- Non-Emirati residents can now foster children under new amendments to the UAE’s foster care law, a big change from previous restrictions to Muslim Emirati families and single women. The law has been amended to allow any married couple over the age of 25 to to foster a child, regardless of nationality or religion, The National reports. Single women who are at least 30 can also apply to become foster parents.

There’s still some eligibility criteria, of course, including having no prior criminal convictions, no infectious diseases or psychological disorders that could put a child at risk, and the ability to financially support a child. Applicants are also not allowed to change a child’s official identity or religion.

#2- The UAE is rolling out an e-visa and online visa application process for Pakistani nationals, with nearly 500 visas now processed daily, Associated Press Pakistan quotes UAE Ambassador Hamad Alzaabi as saying on a call with Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

#3- Sharjah has introduced a postpaid option for government fees through a new partnership between the Sharjah Finance Department and BNPL unicorn Tabby, Wam reports.

#4- Startups + SMEs can join Dubai Founders HQ at no cost: Dubai Founders HQ, the emirate’s new initiative for startups and SMEs, is offering startups and SMEs gratis access to its network and resources, Khaleej Times cites acting CEO of Dubai SME Ahmad Alroom as saying. A nominal fee may be added in the future, he said. The initiative, launched last month, has already onboarded 500 startups and 1.5k members in 50 days to help them scale both locally and internationally.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Dana Gas’ liquid storage tank at its Khor Mor facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was struck by a rocket attack yesterday, according to a disclosure (pdf). The strike caused a fire, but no injuries, and operations were halted to assess the damage. Authorities did not disclose who was behind the attack, and it’s not clear if operations have returned to normal or what the scale of the damage is so far.

Not a first: A drone strike “targeted the [field’s] vicinity” earlier this year, though the company’s operations were unaffected. Drone attacks on the wider region earlier in July had slashed crude output by 140k barrels to 150k barrels per day, with local officials previously claiming Iran-backed militias were likely behind the attacks. Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum began commercial gas sales from Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field expansion project ahead of schedule last month.

#2- Ripple stablecoin gets ADGM approval: Abu Dhabi’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority has added Ripple’s USD-backed stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), to its list of approved stablecoins, allowing licensed ADGM firms to use it for payments, settlement, and on/off-ramp integrations, according to a statement. Issued under a New York Financial Services Department trust charter, RLUSD’s market cap has crossed USD 1.2 bn since launching last year.

The approval adds to a growing list of regulated tokens. The ADGM also recognized Tether’s USD₮ as a regulated stablecoin late last year, along with AED-backed AE Coin. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) recently approved Zand AED — the country’s first multi-chain, AED-backed public stablecoin — and IHC, ADQ, and First Abu Dhabi Bank are also developing a CBUAE-regulated AED token on the ADI blockchain.

#3- The UAE is getting ready for a post-quantum future: The UAE has adopted a National Encryption Policy and issued its executive regulation, requiring government entities to shift from traditional encryption to post-quantum cryptography, state news agency Wam reports. The move is meant to future-proof national systems against quantum-computing risks and strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure as it pushes to position itself as a global AI and advanced-tech hub. Post-quantum cryptography is a new method of encryption protecting against cyberthreats from more advanced quantum computers.

How implementation will work: The UAE Cybersecurity Council will oversee the national migration, coordinating with government bodies on transition plans and setting technical standards. It will also run system-readiness assessments — spanning AI, software, hardware, and signal reliability — to ensure government and private entities meet national and international security benchmarks before broad deployment.

DATA POINT-

UAE banks lift investments, expand branch network in 3Q: Banks’ investments in monetary bills and Islamic certificates of deposit rose 17% q-o-q and 24.7% y-o-y to AED 300.4 bn in 3Q 2025, according to the Central Bank of the UAE’s latest quarterly report (pdf). Locally incorporated banks increased their footprint to 24 banks with 457 branches, up from 444 branches across 23 banks in the previous quarter, while foreign-bank branches held steady at 67.

Foreign assets climb: The Central Bank’s foreign assets inched up 0.8% q-o-q to AED 977 bn, supported by a 14.8% jump in foreign investments and a 15.4% rise in other foreign assets, which together offset a sharp drop in deposits held abroad. Foreign assets rose 19.4% on a y-o-y basis.

HAPPENING TODAY-

#1- A Dubai Chambers of Commerce delegation is in Malaysia and Cambodia until Friday, 28 November to explore investment and potential partnerships for Dubai companies, state news agency Wam reports. The mission includes meetings with government bodies, major companies, and one-on-one business sessions to build long-term trade and investment ties. Delegates will study local investment environments and prospects to potentially expand to those markets to support export and re-export growth.

#2- Meanwhile, a mission led by Malaysia’s Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry is in Dubai this week, with meetings scheduled across major business hubs through Friday, Trade Arabia reports. The delegation — which includes representatives from Malaysian franchisors, SMEs, and investors — is courting UAE investors, buyers, and prospective master-franchise partners as it looks to expand Malaysian brands in the GCC and deepen bilateral trade and investment ties.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

All eyes are still on the Hong Kong fire, which has so far killed 94 people, with scores still missing, and the White House shooting, which killed a National Guard member. (Reuters | Wall Street Journal | New York Times)

Unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work at the residential building in Hong Kong that caught fire might be the culprit behind the rapid spreading of the fire, police have alleged. Several employees and consultants at the construction firm that built the building have been arrested. (Guardian | Reuters | NYT)

ALSO- A controversial new 1.1km oil pipeline agreement that will link Canada’s Alberta oil sands to the Pacific coast has already received tons of backlash from environmentalist groups and other Canadian cabinet members, with Culture Minister and former Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault resigning on the news.

The pipeline will likely impact indigenous communities in the region and could have potential environmental repercussions, critics say. The megaproject comes as Canada looks to shift its economy away from an overreliance on the US economy. Canada supplies around 60% of US oil imports. (Financial Times | Guardian | NYT)

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