DMCC adds office supply, Stake builds an exit door, Masdar to set up JV in Montenegro, Bain heads to Abu Dhabi

DMCC adds another office wager to Dubai’s pipeline

Dubai is set to welcome more than 560k sq ft of new Grade A office space after Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC) launched two commercial towers in Uptown Dubai, according to a Dubai Media Office statement. The added supply lands in a market long defined by scarce top-tier space and will push Uptown Dubai’s total commercial footprint beyond 1 mn sq ft.

The details: The 21-storey and 15-storey towers, called One Uptown Place and Two Uptown Place, are expected to open for leasing in 2H 2026, with completion targeted for 1Q 2028. Office sizes will range from 2.1k sq ft to 17.6k sq ft.

The backdrop: Dubai’s office squeeze is beginning to ease, selectively. As we’ve recently reported, rental growth has cooled, and roughly 2 mn sq ft of new supply is pencilled in for this year, though delivery timelines in the office market have a habit of slipping. Even so, the battle for blue-chip tenants is only intensifying — DIFC is pursuing its own AED 100 bn growth push, with plans to add 17.7 mn sq ft of space between 2030 and 2040.

Fractional real estate just got an exit door

Dubai-based real estate investment platform Stake is looking to make buying and selling on its platform easier through a partnership with Swiss private equity and VC firm ACE & Company, according to a statement.

The plan: The two will develop a secondary transfer platform, giving investors an easier way to sell fractional ownership stakes in properties listed on Stake’s platform to other investors before the underlying asset is sold. The facility will initially cover properties structured through special purpose vehicles in the Dubai International Financial Center.

Masdar expands Montenegro footprint

Masdar sets the stage for large-scale renewables investments in Montenegro: Abu Dhabi-based renewables major Masdar and Montenegro’s state utility EPCG agreed to set up a 50/50 joint venture, which will develop large-scale renewable projects in the Balkan nation, state news agency Wam reports. The JV will focus on solar PV, wind, hydropower, pumped hydro energy storage, standalone battery energy storage systems, and hybrid solutions.

Where is the energy going? The projects set up under the JV will “support Montenegro’s domestic energy needs while also enabling the export of renewable electricity to the Western Balkans and Southern Europe, including leveraging an existing sub-sea interconnection with Italy,” according to the statement.

Masdar is no stranger to the Montenegrin market — it owns a 49% stake in the country’s largest wind farm.

Bain & Company is expanding its Abu Dhabi presence

Management consulting firm Bain & Company is opening up a new office in Abu Dhabi, expanding its UAE presence after operating from Dubai since 2008, according to a press release. The new office comes amid “increasing client demand across Abu Dhabi’s public and private sectors,” the company said.

Why this matters: The world’s biggest business consulting firms — also known as the Big Three — play a huge role in executing the visions of Gulf countries and state-related entities. This move brings Bain closer to tns of USD in sovereign assets held by sovereign wealth funds like Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Mubadala, along with other government entities.