Emirates NBD takes control of India’s RBL

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WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TODAY

THIS MORNING: FAB heads back to debt markets with a green bond + DMCC eyes T+0 gold contracts

Good morning, friends, and happy Friday. Markets are finally breathing a sigh of relief after the interim US-Iran peace agreement took effect yesterday, with the DFM notching its highest close since before the war after rallying 2.5% and finally turning to positive YTD territory.

All eyes are still on the Strait of Hormuz for meaningful signs of movement, with Marine Traffic data showing seven vessels having crossed the Strait yesterday.

In another positive sign for us here at home: The UK has lifted its travel warning for Gulf countries including the UAE, though it noted that the situation remains unpredictable.

On deck this morning: We speak with analysts about the outlook for UAE banks as asset quality risks climb and economic activity weakens, which, based on today’s news flow and their input, is positive given their solid buffers, CBUAE support, and other tailwinds like higher interest rates.

Case in point: Emirates NBD just closed the biggest-ever foreign acquisition in Indian banking, with a USD 2.8 bn acquisition of a stake in RBL Bank, and First Abu Dhabi Bank is the second lender this month to tap debt markets.

PSAs

Children under 15 will be waving goodbye to their social media presence, after a UAE Cabinet resolution set 15 as the minimum age for creating and using social media accounts, Wam reports. Children aged between 15 and 16 will only be allowed on platforms under a stricter set of safeguards that limit the content they can view and who they can interact with.

Social media companies will have up to 12 months to comply with the new rules, and implement age verification checks. Platforms will also have to identify and disable accounts held by children under 15, conduct regular risk assessments, monitor online content, and protect children’s data.

The move makes the UAE the first Arab country to implement social media age restrictions, with only Australia and some countries in Europe implementing similar measures as governments look to address concerns around online safety.

Businesses in Ras Al Khaimah now have a no-charge alternative to taking commercial disputes to court, Wam reports. Ras Al Khaimah Mediation and Arbitration Center now offers firms a route to settle disagreements without entering lengthy proceedings through a complimentary mediation service.

The UAE has been steadily rolling out mediation services for faster off-court routes for disputes. DIFC recently set up a mediation center, while Abu Dhabi is set to see a new mediation center for commercial disputes, after it set up dedicated committees to handle family business-related disputes, and Ajman also recently launched a rental dispute resolution center.

WEATHER- It’s extra hot in Dubai today, with a high of 44°C and a low of 32°C, while Abu Dhabi will see a high of 41°C and a low of 30°C.

A green return to market

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is heading back to debt markets — this time with a green label attached. The Abu Dhabi lender has mandated a three-year EUR-denominated green bond under its USD 20 bn Euro Medium Term Note Program, with initial price thoughts in the mid-swap plus 100-105 bps area, Zawya reports.

What's the money for? FAB says proceeds will be used to fund or refinance eligible projects under its Sustainable Finance Framework. The bond is expected to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

ADVISORS- BBVA, HSBC, ICBC, Societe Generale, and Standard Chartered are acting as joint lead managers alongside FAB, with Standard Chartered serving as billing and delivery bank.

Zoom out: The issuance adds to signs that Gulf borrowers are finding the debt-market window reopening after a war-induced slowdown. Dubai Islamic Bank has already tapped markets twice this month, including a USD 1 bn AT1 sukuk, while analysts recently told us spreads for investment-grade issuers have largely returned to pre-war levels, helping bring borrowers back to market.

Fujairah’s ports get an institutional backbone

Fujairah now has a port authority to oversee a port network that is drawing renewed attention after the Strait of Hormuz blockade shifted flows to Eastern ports, Wam reports.

In context: Fujairah’s position outside the Strait of Hormuz has become increasingly strategic since the outbreak of the regional conflict, with policymakers and companies looking more closely at the emirate’s eastern corridor as an alternative gateway for trade and energy exports. Borouge and AD Ports are studying petrochemicals exports through Fujairah, while Adnoc is moving ahead with plans tied to its West-East pipeline infrastructure.

The emirate has been pushing to deepen the links between its ports, freezones, and logistics infrastructure: Last month, AD Ports-owned Fujairah Terminal signed three land agreements with Fujairah International Airport, Fujairah Freezone Authority and Al Dahra Agriculture Trading, laying the groundwork for more integrated movement between its port, industrial and adjacent infrastructure.

DMCC studies T+0 gold contracts

Dubai Multi Commodities Center is eyeing rolling out T+0 gold contracts to tap into local market demand and an uptick of interest in the safe haven asset amid geopolitical uncertainty, Executive Chairman and CEO Ahmed Bin Sulayem told CNBC Arabia.

T+0 contracts? T+0 contracts typically see same-day settlement for transactions, making the asset more liquid and tradeable for retail investors. A number of other entities in the UAE have made moves to make gold more easily tradeable, including fractional gold ownership firm O Gold and Dubai-based Fasset.

Zooming out of gold, Bin Sulayem notes that firms continued to join the freezone through regional tensions, with 800 having joined since the start of this year, and around 2k new companies expected to join by year-end.

Quantum technologies will become a strategic focus for DMCC moving forward, with plans to bring in up to 2k companies operating in the sector, Bin Sulayem added. He also said DMCC’s fintech platform FinX is expected to roll out services for private institutions over the coming months or in early 2027.

AI gets more adult supervision

Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) firms could soon face a tighter AI rulebook. The financial free zone is proposing changes (pdf) to its Data Protection Regulations that would strengthen safeguards for AI systems processing personal data, according to a statement. The updates would be to rules introduced in 2023, and are intended “to respond to the way these technologies are being used” today. Feedback is open until 18 July.

The biggest changes: Firms would face clearer privacy-by-design and privacy-by-default requirements, while safety would become a core principle of responsible system design. Companies would also disclose the broader policy frameworks used to design or develop their systems, replacing the narrower reference to principles.

Also proposed: DIFC would spell out the duties and skills required of the Autonomous Systems Officer (ASO), clarify system-certification obligations, and develop a separate ASO certification. The Data Protection Commissioner would also gain the power to recognize accreditation and certification frameworks.

DIFC isn’t alone in tightening the screws on AI:Earlier this year, the CBUAE issued guidance putting boards and senior management on the hook for financial institutions’ use of AI. ADGM courts have also sanctioned lawyers for submitting fabricated AI-generated citations as AI becomes more widely used across the workplace.

Data point

5th place — that’s where the UAE ranked in the IMD World CompetitivenessYearbook for 2026, Wam reports. The Emirates took the top spot for economic performance, up from 2nd place last year, as well as for indicators including bureaucracy, government adaptability, and employment.

It took the second spot for citizen trust in AI and business creation, the third spot for branding abroad, energy infrastructure, tourism receipts, and AI access, and fourth place for regulatory framework and AI investments.

The big story abroad

The Strait is open — for now. The US-Iran interim peace agreement took effect yesterday, with shipping beginning to return to the Strait of Hormuz after US Central Command formally lifted its blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas. VP JD Vance confirmed the 60-day clock on the memorandum of understanding has started ticking — meaning the hard part, working out Iran's nuclear program, begins now.

And in tech and AI news, SpaceX is planning a USD 20 bn bond sale as soon as next week — days after raising USD 86 bn in the biggest IPO in history — to repay the bridge loan it took out when Musk merged xAI and X into the rocket company in March. Moody's handed it an investment-grade Baa1 rating on Thursday, with a caveat: the rating is constrained by “elevated execution and financial risks” tied to its AI build-out, which burned USD 6.4 bn in 2025 and is still cash-flow negative. The company closed Thursday at a USD 2.4 tn market cap — sixth largest in the world.

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The balance-sheet boom is over. Now comes the stress test

UAE banks are heading into a harder stretch — and they know it. After several years of double-digit credit growth, near-record profitability, and improving asset quality, lenders are pulling back on the throttle: underwriting standards are tightening, loan growth is expected to come in well below recent norms, and real estate exposure is under close watch, analysts tell us.

The saving grace is where they're starting from. “In terms of financial standing, the UAE banking sector has entered this period of potential vulnerability probably in the best shape in the last 15 years,” Senior Director for Bank Ratings Middle East at Fitch Ratings Anton Lopatin tells EnterpriseAM. Non-performing loan ratios are near historic lows at around 3%, while return on equity is close to 20%, and 1Q 2026 results bear that out: Most banks maintained solid CET1 — a core measure of a bank’s financial buffers — and liquidity coverage ratios, and many of them maintained bottomline growth even as they booked additional provisions against the uncertainty.

Now, local lenders are likely entering a period of more measured growth — and more prudent underwriting. Lopatin expects loan growth to come in between 8% and 10% this year — a step down from the post-COVID expansion that drove years of double-digit gains. “The natural opportunities for banks to grow the way they did in the three years after COVID probably aren't there anymore,” he said.

The strongest institutions are already treating growth more selectively: rejecting opportunities where the return doesn't justify the capital deployed, and reviewing risk appetite more frequently at board level, Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal Portfolio Advisory in Dubai Sam Gidoomal tells us. Lending will still happen, just likely with a bit more prudence. “Lending in a stress environment is not inherently imprudent. What matters is that it is underwritten correctly for the prevailing conditions,” Gidoomal says.

Funding conditions have also shifted. Liquidity indicators came under pressure in the early stages of regional tensions before largely recovering, but the cost of deposits has risen. “Liquidity became more costly — when we talked to banks, they confirmed that competition for liquidity increased,” Lopatin said. But the Central Bank of the UAE's contingency funding measures have helped steady markets, and the availability of emergency liquidity support has reassured depositors.

Some banks are already building precautionary buffers. Lopatin noted that several lenders have booked management overlays — extra provisions set aside as a cushion — despite stable impairment metrics. That's a signal of elevated caution, not observed deterioration. “The key discipline is having pre-agreed management action triggers, rather than waiting until buffers are being consumed before deciding how to respond,” Gidoomal explains.

What’s on the watchlist?

Corporate real estate exposure is the most significant asset-quality risk facing the sector, Lopatin says. Banks have already reduced those concentrations significantly from previous cycles, with residential mortgage books looking comparatively clean, but the supply pipeline opening up this year raises the stakes. A 2026 analysis by UBS Bank points to a potential oversupply scenario, with up to 110.5k residential units potentially delivered in Dubai this year against a 10-year average of around 27k. A projected price correction of up to 15% across the second half of 2025 and into 2026 would test more leveraged secondary developers.

Trade finance, tourism, and aviation-linked exposures are also being watched, though Lopatin says system-wide risks there look more manageable for now.

Some tailwinds could offset the headwinds…

Higher interest rates continue to support net interest margins, and Lopatin expects that to persist. The US Federal Reserve is now widely expected to press ahead with a rate hike before the end of the year — which Gulf central banks, including the CBUAE, would follow given the USD peg.

The bigger risk is a combination of weaker fee income, slower economic activity, and rising credit costs if conditions worsen. The economy is already on course for a contraction, with some pegging it at 5% and others saying it could be as much as 7%, as several economic agencies predict, and the non-oil sector has also been under pressure on the back of softening demand, rising costs, and supply chain disruptions.

“We'll see some deterioration in terms of cost of risk and maybe even asset quality in the coming quarters — but I think it will be gradual,” Lopatin expects.

Emirates NBD seals UDF 2.75 bn RBL Bank acquisition in India

Emirates NBD is now the majority owner of India’s RBL, after getting a historic transaction over the line. The Dubai lender acquired a 60% stake in the Indian private-sector bank for USD 2.8 bn, closing the largest foreign direct investment ever made in India’s banking sector, it confirmed in a press release (pdf).

The acquisition marks the first time a foreign bank has acquired a majority stake in a profitable Indian lender — a barrier that held for decades, and that the Reserve Bank of India and India's capital markets regulator SEBI both had to sign off on. Emirates NBD acquired its stake through a preferential share issue. Public shareholders, offered the chance to exit under India's mandatory open offer rules, didn’t tender their shares (pdf), leaving Emirates NBD with just 60%, rather than the 74% it could’ve potentially bought.

Why it matters: The lender said the partnership will strengthen cross-border trade, investment and financial flows between India, the UAE and other regional markets. It institutionalizes the UAE-India capital corridor at the banking level — giving Dubai’s largest lender by assets a direct presence through more than 600 branches in a market of more than 1.4 bn people.

What’s next: Emirates NBD is consolidating its existing Indian branches into RBL Bank, and positioning itself on the board of RBL Bank, with a reshuffling that saw two resignations of existing board members at the Indian bank, and five new members from Emirates NBD: Group CEO Shayne Nelson, Group CFO Patrick Sullivan, Group Head of Strategy, Analytics, and Venture Capital Neeraj Makin, Group Chief Risk Officer Manoj Chawla, and Group Head of Retail Banking & Wealth Management Marwan Hadi.

New stablecoin-powered fintech draws investment from Sawiris, Al-Falih

MENA-focused fintech, Sovra, has raised just over USD 2 mn in pre-seed funding to build a platform offering users self-custodial USD accounts using stablecoin infrastructure, according to a press release (pdf). The round was led by Pharsalus Capital and drew a slew of angel investor heavyweights, including: Karim Atiyeh, founder of Ramp; Hisham Al-Falih, founder of Lean Technologies; Hany Rashwan, founder of 21Shares; and Egyptian b’naire Naguib Sawiris, chairman of Orascom Development Holding.

Sovra will hold balances in USDC — the regulated stablecoin issued by Circle, the NYSE-listed, SEC-regulated, Deloitte-audited company — and gives users, not the platform, the private keys. That means funds will remain accessible for users no matter what happens.

The idea was inspired by Lebanon’s financial crisis back in 2019, which saw bank deposits and accounts frozen, and aims to help people who are unbanked and underbanked, with the platform set to be available across 180 countries, including most of MENA, from day one, founder and CEO Ahmad Wehbi tells EnterpriseAM. “Our focus is the parts of MENA where local currencies are unstable, local systems are fragile, and most people are unbanked or underbanked,” he explains. “It's where the need is greatest, and where we've already seen the most demand.”

Why start with the USDC? “In the parts of MENA where local currencies are unstable and local systems fragile, the USD is what people reach for, so we build on the strongest digital form of that USD: USDC, a stablecoin issued by a regulated, publicly listed company,” Wehbi says. But it will be easy to convert into fiat: “The on- and off-ramps that let people convert between USDC and local currency, including AED, are part of our launch plan from day one, delivered through licensed third-party partners,” Wehbi adds.

AED stablecoins next? “As we grow into new markets, we'll integrate the currencies and rails people actually use there, including AED-denominated stablecoins,” Wehbi tells us.

The feature set at launch covers USD-denominated accounts, peer-to-peer transfers, yield access via third-party DeFi protocols, and a Visa/Mastercard-backed card.

What’s next: Look for a 3Q launch, with plans to use the funds to finalize the card and virtual account rollout, add Arabic language support, and grow an early user cohort, Wehbi tells us.

The economics of speed: why Gulf consumers reject slow banking

The GCC’s shift toward real-time finance is changing how consumers and businesses evaluate financial institutions. Payments settle in seconds, onboarding is expected to happen remotely, and access to credit is now embedded directly into digital platforms. In this environment, delays are no longer interpreted solely as an inconvenience. They create operational friction.

Banks are increasingly restructuring products around these expectations. Mashreq recently launched instant digital cross-border accounts for Egyptians and Pakistanis living in the UAE, allowing customers to open accounts remotely and transfer funds across markets more efficiently. For expatriate customers, the value is straightforward: fewer branch steps, faster account opening, and easier movement of money across the markets they live and work between.

Embedded finance is also becoming part of how consumers expect to access credit. Through its partnership with Toothpick, Mashreq provides patients with access to fully digital healthcare financing at the point of care for dental and aesthetic treatments. Separately, its collaboration with Cashew integrates near-instant financing into merchant platforms across sectors, including healthcare, education, and home services, reducing delays between purchase decisions and access to financing.

Together, these products point to a wider change in banking. Customers now judge banking by how quickly it turns a need into access. Mashreq's cross-border accounts, embedded healthcare financing, and merchant credit integrations reflect what this shift looks like in practice: banking products designed to reduce the time between need, access, and action.

Ghazal Al Sakaal, Global Head of Ecosystems and Platform Banking

20 UAE law firms awarded Chambers Middle East Awards

A total of 20 UAE law firms were recognized in this year’s Chambers Middle East Awards, with our friends at Al Tamimi & Company named Employment Law Firm of the Year, and our friends at Baker McKenzie given the Real Estate Law Firm of the Year award.

Other accolades worth mentioning: Capital Markets Law Firm of the Year went to White & Case; Banking and Finance Law Firm of the Year went to Clifford Chance; and Corporate/M&A went to Tribonian Law Advisors.

Citi appoints new head of wealth for the UAE

Citibank has appointed Rajeev Garg (LinkedIn) as head of wealth for the UAE, effective yesterday, according to a press release. Garg — who brings 26 years of experience, 18 of them at Citi — will oversee Citigold, Citigold Private Client, and Credit Cards in the UAE, reporting to Yeo Wenxian (Head of Asia South Wealth) and locally to Country Officer Shamsa Al-Falasi.

The USD 1.5 tn diplomat

UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s role in rebuilding ties with Iran is drawing attention in the foreign press, with Bloomberg reporting that Abu Dhabi’s dealmaking chief has emerged as a key diplomatic intermediary between the two countries. He also oversees a USD 1.5 tn network that includes sovereign funds and AI investor MGX.

Sheikh Tahnoon is regarded as one of the more “shrewd and pragmatic figures within Emirati decision-making circles,” University of Edinburgh associate fellow Mira Al Hussein told Bloomberg, pointing to his role in managing the UAE’s post-blockade rapprochement with Qatar, helping reopen direct channels with Iran, and maintaining ties with Western governments and Gulf allies.

The economic logic is hard to miss: The UAE’s finance, AI, tourism, and investment ambitions depend on stability. Abu Dhabi returned to engagement after Iranian attacks caused casualties and bns of USD in damage, while officials from Dubai and Sharjah also pushed to repair ties as the conflict threatened their expat, tourism, and real estate-focused economies, the business news information service reports.

Altérra heads to Latin America, Aliph makes an acquisition in KSA, and Northslope plants its flag in Abu Dhabi

Altérra's Latin America debut

UAE-backed climate investment vehicle Altérra partnered with international infrastructure investor I Squared Capital to invest in Peru's biggest independent power producer, according to a statement. The size of the investment in Inkia Energy was not disclosed.

What's the asset? Inkia operates 2.6 GW of generation capacity (roughly a quarter of Peru's electricity supply) and has a 4 GW renewables pipeline, including around 1 GW of near-term solar and wind projects. The investment will support the expansion of the company's renewable energy business.

Why it matters: This marks Altérra's first direct investment in Latin America. The investment was made through Altérra's Opportunity Fund, a USD 1.2 bn co-investment vehicle launched earlier this year with Spain's BBVA targeting climate investments across North America, Latin America, and Europe, which the UAE has said could help unlock USD 250 bn of climate finance by 2030.

This is also Altérra's second co-investment alongside I Squared Capital, following an investment in Italy's Absolute Energy last year.

Aliph adds a healthcare education asset in KSA

ADGM-based private equity firm Aliph Capital is wagering on Saudi healthcare education, completing a strategic investment in Al Rayan Medical Colleges in Madinah, according to a statement (pdf). The investment will fund partnerships with international universities, infrastructure and digital upgrades, and new health specializations. The financial terms were not disclosed.

REMEMBER- Aliph closed its debut USD 200 mn fund last year and said it would target GCC investments across healthcare, as well as infrastructure services, education, and consumer sectors, with cheque sizes ranging from USD 15-40 mn.

Former Palantir staff are planting a flag in Abu Dhabi

US AI firm Northslope has opened its first Gulf office in Abu Dhabi after seeing “strong early demand” from organizations across the region, UAE managing partner Harvey Young (LinkedIn) told The National. Young will lead regional customer work, partnerships, and business development, while the company is hiring more forward-deployed roles locally to use in organizations’ workflows.

Northslope? Founded by former Palantir employees in 2024, the company builds custom AI software for clients across logistics, asset management, energy, manufacturing, and aerospace, with its tools running on Palantir’s operating system. The company first had earlier set up a six-person engineering team in the country, then raised USD 22 mn in April.

The return of the SPAC?

SPACs are back — and the mega-IPO frenzy is to thank. As blockbuster listings from the likes of SpaceX absorb the bulk of investor appetite and capital on US markets, shell companies are re-emerging as the practical alternative for firms that can't compete for attention at the top of the queue, Reuters reports.

By the numbers: SPAC issuances have been on the up since last year, when they started to recover from a post-2021 dip. So far, USD 36.9 bn worth of SPAC mergers have been announced through 44 agreements, up from USD 15 bn through 33 agreements at the same point the year before, according to Dealogic data.

BACKGROUND- SPACs helped push global IPOs to a record high in 2021, before a wave of underperformers struggled to deliver returns or find viable targets. The current revival is more selective — with sectors drawing interest this time including energy, crypto, defense, and critical minerals.

Nearly 360 SPACs are sitting on c. USD 56.8 bn in dry powder ready to deploy, per SPAC Research. Two big pending transactions illustrate the shift: Taiwan-based battery manufacturer ProLogium Technology is listing on the Nasdaq through a USD 3.8 bn SPAC merger, while the US’s power and lithium resource producer Controlled Thermal Resources agreed on a USD 4.7 bn merger.

SPACs can provide an alternative route, or “a quick side entrance” as Cerity Partners’ Michael Ashley Schulman said, for funds to take advantage of a buoyant market, as mega listings take up a sizable share of investor interest, appetite, and capital.

For the targets, as well as offering an easier access route to the already crowded IPO scene on US capital markets, acquisitions and mergers through shell companies offer more flexibility on terms and a guaranteed capital raise at close.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Asian markets are in the green, tracking a broader market rally in the wake of the US-Iran peace agreements’s signing. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.8% to break another record, with shares of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix reaching all-time highs, and Japan’s Nikkei rising 0.6%. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets are closed for a holiday.

ADX	10,113	+1.2% (YTD: +1.2%)
DFM	6,270	+2.5% (YTD: +3.7%)
Nasdaq Dubai UAE20	4,989	+2.7% (YTD: -2.1%)
USD : AED CBUAE	Buy 3.67	Sell 3.67
EIBOR	3.4% o/n	4.1% 1 yr
TASI	11,121	+0.1% (YTD: +6.0%)
EGX30	52,622	+1.1% (YTD: +25.8%)
S&P 500	7,501	+1.1% (YTD: +9.6%)
FTSE 100	10,400	-1% (YTD: +4.7%)
Euro Stoxx 50	6,323	+0.4% (YTD: +9.2%)
Brent crude	USD 79.03	-1%
Natural gas (Nymex)	USD 3.21	-0.7%
Gold	USD 4,206.9	-0.9%
BTC	USD 63,017	-2% (YTD: -29%)
Chimera JP Morgan UAE Bond UCITS ETF	AED 3.67	-1.6% (YTD: +0.1%)
S&P MENA Bond & Sukuk	152.65	+0.2% (YTD: +0.5%)
VIX (Volatility Index)	16.4	-11.1% (YTD: +9.7%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The ADX rose 1.2% yesterday on turnover of AED 2.5 bn. The index is up 1.2% YTD.

In the green: Invest Bank (+14.8%), Ins. House (+10.1%), and Sharjah Cement and Industrial Development Co. (+9.9%).

In the red: E7 Group Warrants (-5.0%), National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain (-2.7%), and Al Buhaira National Ins. Company (-2.4%).

Over on the DFM, the index rose 2.5% on turnover of AED 1.7 bn. Meanwhile, Nasdaq Dubai was up 2.7%.

CALENDAR

JUNE

22-24 June (Monday-Wednesday): The International Glass Manufacturing Show, Dubai.

JULY

28-29 July (Tuesday-Wednesday): Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

SEPTEMBER

1-3 September (Tuesday-Thursday: Middle East Energy, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

7-9 September (Monday-Wednesday): AIM Congress, Dubai World Trade Center.

7-9 September (Monday-Wednesday): International Property Show, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

12-13 September (Saturday-Sunday): Emirates International Congress on AI & Visionary Leadership in Transforming Healthcare, Adnec Center Abu Dhabi.

14-17 September (Monday-Thursday): Arabian Travel Market, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

15-16 September (Tuesday-Wednesday): Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

29-30 September (Tuesday-Wednesday): AFCM Annual Conference, Abu Dhabi.

OCTOBER

4-10 October (Sunday-Saturday): World Space Week, Abu Dhabi.

5-7 October (Monday-Wednesday): AI Everything Global, Adnec Center, Abu Dhabi.

12-14 October (Monday-Wednesday: Airport Show, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

20-22 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Future Health Summit, Adnec Center Abu Dhabi.

27-28 October (Tuesday-Wednesday): Arab Competition Forum, Dubai.

27-28 October (Tuesday-Wednesday): Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

30 October (Friday): Large businesses achieving annual revenues equal to or above AED 50 mn must appoint an accredited service provider for e-invoicing implementation.

Signposted to happen sometime in October 2026:

Abu Dhabi Space Week, Abu Dhabi.

NOVEMBER

2-6 November (Monday-Friday): Dubai Future Finance Week, Dubai.

4 November (Wednesday): Digital Transformation Summit, Sofitel, Abu Dhabi.

9-10 November (Monday-Tuesday): Annual government meetings, Abu Dhabi.

9-12 November (Monday-Thursday): EMEA Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education Conference, Dubai College of Tourism, Dubai.

10-12 November (Tuesday-Thursday): Dubai International Electric Vehicle Exhibition & Conference, Dubai World Trade Center.

16-18 November (Monday-Wednesday): World Police Summit, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

DECEMBER

2-4 December (Wednesday-Friday): UN Water Conference, UAE.

4-6 December (Friday-Sunday): Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi.

8-9 December (Tuesday-Wednesday): Capital Market Summit, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.

8-9 December (Tuesday-Wednesday): Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

8-10 December (Tuesday-Thursday): Abu Dhabi Water & Power Week, Adnec Center, Abu Dhabi.

Signposted to happen sometime in 2027:

1 January: Deadline for large businesses to implement e-invoicing;
1Q 2027: Completion of the first phase of Hassyan seawater desalination project;
1-3 February (Monday-Wednesday): World Governments Summit;
31 March: Small businesses with annual revenues of less than AED 50 mn are obliged to contract with an accredited service provider for e-invoicing implementation;
31 March: Government entities are required to appoint an accredited service provider for e-invoicing implementation;
21-22 April (Wednesday-Thursday): Token2049, Dubai;
1 July: Deadline for small businesses to implement e-invoicing;
1 October: Deadline for governments to implement e-invoicing;
Abu Dhabi’s solar and battery energy facility, combining 5.2 GW of solar capacity and 19 GWh of battery storage, is set for commissioning.

Signposted to happen sometime in 2028:

Artificial Intelligence Summit.

Signposted to happen sometime in 2029:

Sibos 2029 organized by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), Dubai;
Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, Abu Dhabi;
The commissioning of the seventh phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

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