THIS MORNING: Dubai on track for most handovers since 2008 + Dnata invests in autonomous tools

Good morning, everyone. Inflation is easing in Dubai, and the property market is bracing for its biggest wave of handovers in nearly two decades.

Dubai’s annual inflation eased to 5.3% in July from 5.7% in June, with transport prices, up y-o-y but slowing m-o-m, doing much of the work. But Emirates NBD flags this could be temporary, though, given August's fuel price hikes.

Elsewhere in Dubai, the emirate is on track for its highest annual residential handover volume since 2008 with 55.6k units expected this year; however, construction is lagging behind targets.

Further afield, Egypt approved a new freezone for Fujairah Alamein Oil and Gas Company on its north coast, and DP World has opened a new warehouse in Malaysia as it expands across Southeast Asia.

And in this week’s My Morning Routine, we sit down with Taaleem CEO Alan Williamson to discuss his path from military officer to teacher to CEO.

Dubai gears up for biggest housing handover since 2008

Dubai is on track to record its highest annual residential handover volume in nearly two decades, with around 55.6k units expected to be delivered in 2026, per a Cushman & Wakefield Core report. Around 32k units are expected in 2H, after more than 13.2k units were delivered in 2Q to bring the 1H total to 23.6k.

That’s a different count from what Savills had: The agency said Dubai delivered around 27.3k residential units in 2Q 2026 — the highest quarterly volume in recent years, according to Savills.

Construction is not moving at the same pace, however, as only around 186k of nearly 525k planned units have surpassed 20% construction progress, indicating a significant portion of the pipeline could be delayed. Supply-chain constraints, contractor capacity pressures, and softer market conditions are expected to weigh on future completions.

Developers pull back on launches: New supply is being moderated, with apartment launches falling 58% y-o-y in 1H and villa launches down 78%, as geopolitical uncertainty prompted developers to defer projects.

Dnata invests in autonomous tools testing

Local aviation services firm dnata is putting USD 110 mn into testing autonomous tools and developing 800 new ground support units, Gulf News reports.

Why now? Despite the current lull in passenger traffic, the decision comes as air operators are expecting a rebound by 2030 and are now looking at upgrades through automation to stay ahead. Similarly, hospitality players have been taking advantage of the lull in business for refurbs and upgrades in anticipation of a pick-up in activity.

Step back: More widely, airfares are set to stay high through 2026, as thinner capacity and higher fuel costs force operators to pass costs through to customers.

PSA

More due diligence requirements are coming for businesses after the Federal Tax Authority issued a decision (pdf) requiring firms to verify both suppliers and goods received in order to secure input tax recovery. The decision aims to clamp down on parts of the wider supply chain linked to tax evasion.

There isn’t much time to prepare, with the decision coming into effect on 1 October this year. Firms will have to verify suppliers by checking identity documentation against official records and also conducting a risk assessment. Supplies worth over AED 375k will also have to get the green light from a UAE-authorized bank showing the supplier is an account holder. For the supplies themselves, firms will have to show the transaction is based on valid commercial reasons and falls within the supplier’s remit of licensed activities.

WEATHER- Temperatures will hit highs of 40°C today in Abu Dhabi, with lows of 31°C, while the mercury will hit 41°C in Dubai before dipping to a low of 34°C.

The big story abroad

Washington’s plans to unleash what US President Donald Trump calls “economic fury” on Iran are getting top billing in the business press, with Reuters reporting plans to impose the “toughest sanctions in history” on the country, according to Treasury chief Scott Bessent. The real test is China, which buys some 80% of Iran's oil exports and which has so far kept neutral, with China's embassy in Washington saying “sanctions ⁠and pressure do not help resolve the problem.” The UAE, historically Iran's largest trade partner, is already cutting economic ties after a missile incident this week.

Meanwhile, Anthropic is preparing to file for an IPO sized to match or beat SpaceX's record USD 75 bn debut, Bloomberg reports, banking on an AI boom that's pushed the Claude maker's valuation to USD 965 bn. The company's 2Q revenue came in at USD 11.5 bn, against USD 787 mn a year earlier — even as it posted a roughly USD 42 bn net loss for 2025. Discussions on size are still fluid, and a formal filing could come as soon as the end of this month.

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