Nishimura & Asahi makes it official in Dubai, more UAE investments in India, ADI Chain eyes a sukuk push, logistics players expand and extend

Nishimura & Asahi makes Dubai official

Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi will open a Dubai office in January 2027, giving it its own regional base after more than a decade of operating locally through Japanese lawyers and a partner firm, according to a company statement. The office will advise on areas including energy and infrastructure, M&A, investment, regulatory work, and international arbitration across the Middle East and adjacent markets.

This isn’t a cold start: The firm opened a representative office in Dubai in 2016, noting at the time that the office wouldn’t provide attorney services directly. Partner Masao Morishita (LinkedIn) will lead the move. He has been based in Dubai since 2013, advising across the Gulf, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan on energy, infrastructure, foreign investment, sanctions, and cross-border agreements.

Crescent backs India’s auto aftermarket

Sharjah-based Crescent Enterprises is putting fuel into India’s automotive aftermarket, leading a USD 45 mn (INR 4.2 bn) Series D funding round for TVS Automobile Solutions, according to a press release. TVS is now prepping its MyTVS platform to scale across India and also launch in the UAE. The platform covers vehicle maintenance and repair after the initial sale, through its app services and physical network.

Where does the buck go? MyTVS, a digital aftermarket platform, already rules India’s fragmented USD 14 bn aftermarket through its 1k service hubs, 10k retailers, and over 10 mn users. The new capital will fund expansion of its physical network and AI capabilities, including fault diagnosis and predictive maintenance.

Meanwhile, UAE-backed Fireside wagers on India’s smart kitchens

UAE-backed Fireside Ventures has led a INR 1.1 bn (c. USD 11.4 mn) Series B in Indian smart-kitchen startup Beyond Appliances, with Bengaluru-based Dharana Capital and other investors also participating, ET Entrepreneur reports. Fireside counts both Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia) and Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) among its backers, giving UAE sovereign capital indirect exposure to the transaction.

Beyond Appliances is using the round to scale hard: The Bengaluru-based company plans to invest in R&D, build a new manufacturing plant, expand into new kitchen categories, and grow its offline footprint from four cities to 14 over the next three years, while targeting INR 5 bn in annual recurring revenue. CEO Eshwar K. Vikas told ET Entrepreneur the company has also doubled its marketplace share over the past year.

IN CONTEXT- Fireside’s USD 253 mn Fund IV is targeting 30-35 consumer startups, with Adia and ICD among its LPs. The investment also lands amid a much broader UAE push into India: the UAE is lining up another USD 25 bn of investment after already deploying roughly the same amount, while Adia has continued adding exposure through Indian IPOs and industrial companies.

Sukuk are next in ADI Chain’s institutional push

ADI Foundation and Dubai-based Tokinvest are targeting a USD 100 mn tokenized sukuk as the first major product of a new real-world asset partnership, state news agency Wam reports. The two signed an MoU and are looking to tokenize existing sukuk from UAE issuers and distribute them through regulated channels, with ADI providing the blockchain infrastructure and Tokinvest handling structuring, issuance, and distribution.

And sukuk may only be the start: The pair also plans to explore private credit, funds, and other yield-generating assets, while bringing Tokinvest’s existing products onto ADI Chain.

ADI Chain has been building toward institutional use cases for a while: We reported in July that the Abu Dhabi-linked network raised USD 50 mn to expand its Layer-2 infrastructure for governments, financial institutions, and enterprises. It was already being used as the settlement layer for the UAE’s DDSC stablecoin, with a cumulative transaction volume of about USD 150 mn at the time.

The wider market is moving the same way: First Abu Dhabi Bank issued MENA’s first blockchain-based bond in 2025, while Dubai’s VARA later opened the door to real-world asset tokenization.

Adnoc grows its gas carrier fleet

Adnoc L&S is growing its very large gas carrier (VLGC) fleet to 15 with a USD 324 mn order for three more vessels,according to a disclosure (pdf). The 90k cbm carriers are due in 2H 2029 and will go onto a seven-year contract with Adnoc Global Trading on delivery, the company said.

BACKGROUND- The order takes Adnoc L&S's vessel commitments this year to roughly USD 3 bn. The firm had announced about USD 2.7 bn of acquisitions and newbuild orders by late August. That includes six LNG carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard for roughly USD 1.3 bn in total, all due in 2029.

DP World extends Luanda access to 2051

DP World has snagged a 10-year extension to its concession at Angola’s Port of Luanda multipurpose terminal until 2051, and poured in another USD 90 mn to its expansion plans, according to a press release. The expansion will give the terminal a bigger quay, pitching Luanda as a gateway for West and Central Africa.

Anchoring the region: Since taking over operations in 2021, DP World has invested more than USD 260 mn in upgrading the terminal. Annual container volumes have nearly doubled to more than 350k TEUs from 177k.

REMEMBER- Luanda sits within DP World’s expanding African footprint, which spans Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Somaliland and Tanzania. Luanda is one of Central-West Africa’s key transhipment hubs by enabling land-locked countries, including the DRC and Zambia, to access maritime trade. AD Ports is also active in the area, and secured a 20-year concession to operate the terminal in 2024.