Behind L’imad’s back-in-house strategy.

1

WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TODAY

THIS MORNING: Adia-backed Jio takes its IPO on the road + ADGM assets up 54% y-o-y in 1H

Good morning, everyone. Our Big Story Today is about what L’imad is willing to give up outside capital for — and what it isn’t. Taqa is already off the ADX, and the sovereign investor has now locked in a settlement date, no later than 9 October, for the AD Ports stake it doesn't already own — weeks ahead of its own self-set deadline. Two sources with knowledge of sovereign wealth fund strategies are quick to head off the read that this is the start of something bigger, though — it’s a selective call on which capital-heavy platforms need full control to keep acquiring, not a broader retreat from public markets.

More consolidation elsewhere: IHC is taking an 80% stake in Marlan Holding this morning, adding another name to the UAE’s growing space economy push.

PLUS- FAB, Mashreq, and DP World are all in the market for USD bonds today in the clearest sign of a post-summer debt rush, even as spreads sit wider than they did during the war’s peak.

Meanwhile, the last sliver of the Egyptian government's blocking stake in Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling is now formally off the table for AD Ports, and Adia- and Mubadala-backed Jio is gearing up to market its IPO, which could be worth as much as USD 4 bn.

The EnterpriseAM Egypt Forum is back — and we’re devoting the full day to the singular set of questions on everyone’s mind: What does AI actually mean for your company, your people, your economy, your own job — and your kids’ future?

Every session on stage answers one question: “So, what do I actually do about it?”

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Adia-backed Jio takes its IPO on the road

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia)-backed Jio Platforms could start marketing a USD 4 bn IPO as early as next week — with the Middle East on its investor roadshow, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The Reliance digital arm plans meetings across the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and the region. Jio is targeting a November listing, although size, valuation, and timing could still change.

One hurdle is already out of the way: Jio secured SEBI approval on 28 August after filing its draft papers in June. The offering covers up to 270 mn new shares, equivalent to roughly 2.9% dilution, with part of the proceeds earmarked for debt repayment.

REFRESHER- Gulf SWFs are already deep in the cap table: We reported in June that Adia owns 1.16% of Jio, alongside Mubadala at 1.85% and PIF at 2.32%. Adia has already anchored India’s biggest IPO this year, as well as several others.

FinMin issues new VAT amendments

The Finance Ministry is looking to cut VAT red tape, updating rules to improve the assessment of tax obligations, state news agency Wam reports, citing a ministry announcement. The ministry said it’s looking to reduce the amount of tax disputes and to crack down on evasion, aligning with other recent legislative moves to provide easier channels to resolve disagreements, for example, for family business disputes and commercial disagreements.

The ministry is refining its tax apportionment methods to better reflect a person’s economic activities while keeping the current system for government entities and charities.

As for updates, they’ll include refining the capital assets scheme to adjust recovered tax based on actual usage and restricting the amount of tax that can be recovered for cash payments exceeding thresholds. The ministry is also amending provisions for the supply and import of medical products, for input tax recovery linked to employee accommodation, and for VAT relating to single composite supplies.

Data point

54% — That’s how much ADGM assets grew y-o-y in 1H 2026 on the back of an influx of premier global fund and asset managers, seemingly undeterred by the conflict, in a growth streak that has run uninterrupted since 2022, Abu Dhabi Media Office reports. Active licenses reached 13.9k, including 1.8k issued during 1H, while operational entities rose 34% to 3.9k. The workforce across Al Maryah and Al Reem islands grew by 4.6k people in six months to 49k.

More money, more managers: The financial center added 11 managers in 2Q alone — its strongest single-quarter surge to date — bringing its total asset manager count to 190, up 23% y-o-y. Total funds managed climbed 32% y-o-y to 276. New entrants in the first half collectively oversee more than USD 2.1 tn in global assets, featuring names like Bain Capital, Blue Owl, Man Group, Barings, and Capital Group.

ADGM is also carving out a distinct niche in tech capital, with entities based in the financial center now holding more than USD 100 bn in AI-focused investments, anchored by state-backed platform MGX.

PSA

WEATHER- Temperatures will hit 42°C in Dubai today with an overnight low of 33°C, and 43°C in Abu Dhabi before cooling to 32°C overnight, according to our favorite weather app.

Happening today

#1- India’s Odisha state is back in the UAE: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will lead a delegation to Abu Dhabi and Dubai from today until Friday, targeting sovereign and institutional investors, fund houses, and industry players for capital and partnerships across export-oriented manufacturing and infrastructure, Zawya reports, citing a Government of Odisha press release.

The pitch goes beyond metals: Odisha is putting downstream manufacturing, port-based industrial and logistics parks, shipbuilding, rare-earth corridors, and chemicals on the table as it looks to move further up the value chain. Abu Dhabi meetings will lean toward long-term capital, while Dubai will focus more on metals, logistics, and infrastructure players.

Odisha lies on India’s east coast and is a key mineral-producing state, accounting for nearly 38% of India’s overall mineral production value, and it is its largest producer of steel and aluminum.

REMEMBER- UAE capital has already made a big entrance: In July, IHC’s mining arm International Resources Holding and Adani Enterprises signed an MoU with Odisha for a USD 11.5 bn integrated aluminum complex — billed as India’s largest foreign investment in metals.

#2- UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is arriving in Germany as part of a state visit that will see him meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, state news agency Wam reports. Options to increase economic and development cooperation will be under discussion during the visit.

The big story abroad

The regional conflict is flaring up once again — this time, on two fronts. US forces destroyed five Iranian oil carriers in retaliation for two ballistic missile strikes launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at a US Navy warship over the past two days, US Central Command said. This coincided with strikes by Iran-backed Houthi militants against Saudi oil facilities, marking a further escalation in the Middle East conflict.

In the AI world: Qualcomm announced a long-term partnership with Amazon, which could purchase up to USD 60 bn in Qualcomm’s AI data center chips to boost the Semiconductor player’s presence in AI infrastructure, a relatively new field for the chip giant. The agreement grants Amazon USD 4 bn in warrants that vest with product purchases, allowing it to buy shares at USD 161.26 each.

Speaking of which: AI coding startup Cognition AI — which builds autonomous agents that plan and deploy software with minimal human input — raised USD 2 bn in a Series E funding round led by new investors Andreessen Horowitz and Accel. The round brings the firm’s valuation to USD 48 bn, nearly doubling its USD 26 bn valuation in May, when it raised USD 1 bn.

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L’imad locks in October settlement date to buy out AD Ports Group's remaining shareholders after delisting Taqa — but it’s not the start of a take-private trend

L’imad’s AED 7.8 bn buyback of AD Ports Group’s remaining minority stake has cleared every condition attached to it bar routine regulatory sign-off — and subsidiary ADQ has locked in a settlement date no later than 9 October, per a confirmed (pdf) disclosure to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). That’s weeks ahead of the timetable ADQ set for itself: the offer document gave it up to three months after the tender window closes to declare the offer unconditional. The window hasn’t even closed — minority shareholders have until 3pm on 15 September to tender.

REMEMBER- The sovereign investor is offering around AED 7.8 bn for the 24.58% of AD Ports it does not already own.

Why it matters: This is the second major ADX-listed asset L’imad is geared to delist from the exchange this year, after Abu Dhabi Power Corporation (ADPC) squeezed out Taqa's remaining minority shareholders and delisted the utility earlier this month.

Two sources specialized in sovereign wealth fund strategies were clear that this does not add up to a broader retreat from public markets. “I don't think it is a broader reversal,” Global SWF Founder and Managing Director Diego López tells EnterpriseAM. He calls it instead “a careful selection of which subsidiaries will help lead L’imad's expansion and acquisition efforts.” Arqaam Capital’s Rawad Kassouf says that selective consolidation in sectors L’imad considers strategically important “would not surprise” him, but he expects that to coexist with listings, secondary sales, and more institutional participation. “The two trends can, and I think will, run in parallel,” he says.

Why these two?

Taqa and AD Ports are not random picks. They were L’imad’s biggest assets that were not already fully controlled by the fund, López says. Other major platforms including Etihad, Senaat, and the ADX itself are already wholly owned.

L’imad, the sovereign investment giant Abu Dhabi built earlier this year by folding ADQ into a larger platform, inherited ADQ’s playbook of using listings to bring in outside capital while keeping strategic control. That’s the piece now getting a second look, in these two cases at least.

Taqa got there first: ADPC lifted its stake in the utility to 98.12% before moving on the rest. AD Ports is the more striking reversal — the group raised AED 4 bn in fresh equity when it listed in 2022, handing outside investors roughly a quarter of the enlarged company. Four-and-a-half years later, L’imad is paying almost twice that to buy back nearly the same stake.

The AD Ports math

AD Ports has outgrown the company that went public: Revenue rose from AED 3.9 bn in 2021 to AED 20.8 bn in 2025 as acquisitions built out its international footprint. But that expansion has also raised its funding needs: net debt stood at AED 22.7 bn at end-2Q, while fixed-asset and investment commitments totaled close to AED 11 bn, according to Global SWF.

That is where full ownership starts to have an advantage: L’imad has pointed to potential future equity requirements and less room for shareholder distributions as AD Ports enters its next investment cycle. Full control would allow the sovereign investor to inject capital without diluting minorities and give the company more freedom to keep acquiring.

There is a valuation argument too: AD Ports had for some time been flagged as undervalued relative to its growth profile, Arqaam Capital’s Rawad Kassouf tells us. “The business asset base and growth trajectory were arguably moving faster than the public investors were willing to credit.” In that context, he sees full ownership as both a re-rating decision and a way to fund and execute growth with greater flexibility.

What’s next

Modon and PureHealth are the next test cases. L’imad owns around 85% of the acquisitive urban developer and about 40% of the healthcare group alongside Royal Group-linked entities — the other big strategic platforms still short of full ownership, per López. Neither is necessarily headed for a take-private, but what L’imad does with those stakes will show whether Taqa and AD Ports were two company-specific decisions or the templates to replicate across its portfolio.

As for the ADX… the free-float impact is uneven. Only 1.88% of Taqa remained outside L’imad’s control before its squeeze-out, so little investable stock was left by the time it delisted. AD Ports is a more meaningful test: L’imad is seeking the full 24.58% minority, which would remove a substantially larger pool of publicly held shares if the offer succeeds.

FAB, Mashreq and DP World are returning to debt markets as spreads stay wider than pre-war levels

Three of the UAE’s biggest borrowers are in the market for USD bonds — the clearest sign yet of a post-summer debt rush. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and Mashreq are both in the market for five-year USD bonds today in the first real test of demand since the summer lull. FAB launched its issuance with initial price talk at T+115bp under its USD 30 bn EMTN program, while Mashreq mandated banks for a Reg S senior unsecured issuance off its USD 5 bn EMTN shelf, rated A (Fitch), A3 (Moody's), and A (S&P). Meanwhile, DP World mandated a global investor roadshow for a dual-tranche issuance — EUR-denominated green notes alongside conventional USD notes, rated Baa2 (Moody's) and BBB+ (Fitch), both stable.

FAB’s opening spread lands almost exactly on the UAE corporate USD curve — 115 bps over Treasuries as of 21 August, according to a Fitch report shared with EnterpriseAM earlier — which is wider than where it sat at the war's peak in March (108 bps) and nearly 50% wider than in January (79 bps).

Why it matters: Two banks and a ports-and-logistics major are returning to debt markets despite a pricing premium that might move again in the next couple of weeks. Franklin Templeton's Mohieddine Kronfol has argued that the widening is a US Treasury story, not a Gulf credit story, and the US Federal Reserve’s 16 September rate decision will move the Treasury leg of that spread regardless of what happens in the region. Mashreq Capital's Amol Shitole also recently said Gulf spreads are still too tight given the risk on the table — he puts fair value 25-50 bps wider than where they're trading.

It's also a shift in instrument for Mashreq. Its only two market outings this year — a USD 500 mn AT1 in February priced at 6.25% and another USD 500 mn AT1 in July at 6.625% — were both subordinated capital notes. A senior unsecured bond sits higher in the repayment stack and should price well inside those coupons.

REMEMBER- Dubai Islamic Bank also closed its debut syndicated Islamic facility — a USD 750 mn three-year murabaha loan, 1.6x oversubscribed — last week, becoming the first local bank to return to debt markets — albeit syndicated — in over a month. UAE issuers sold a record USD 30.3 bn of international bonds through end-July, and Fitch expects the pace to hold through 2H 2026.

What's next: We’ll be watching for the final pricing on the issuances to see how much — if at all — books tighten from IPTs; a big oversubscription would suggest investors are more sanguine about UAE risk than the spread level implies.

ADVISORS- Arab Bank, BofA Securities, Citi, FAB, HSBC, and ICBC Standard Bank are running FAB's book as joint lead managers and bookrunners, with Citi as billing and delivery bank. As for Mashreq: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, ANZ, Barclays, BBVA, BofA Securities, Emirates NBD Capital, FAB, ICBC, Mashreq, MUFG, Societe Generale, and Standard Chartered were mandated to run investor calls as of yesterday.

Egypt’s last state holdout says it won’t sell Alexandria Containers stake to AD Ports

The last piece of the Egyptian government’s blocking stake in Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling (ALCN) is now formally off the table. The General Authority for Alexandria Port, which holds 7.63% of the EGX-listed port operator, told ALCN that it has no intention of selling any of its shares to AD Ports subsidiary Black Caspian Logistics, according to an EGX filing (pdf). The company disclosed the letter alongside a restatement of the Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport’s refusal, putting the full 43.9% state bloc on the record.

What’s left is a tender against a sliver of freefloat. With ADQ’s side at 51.33% and the state at 43.9%, ALCN’s freefloat is roughly 4.8% — and Black Caspian’s offer tenders for up to 4.3% of the company. Full acceptance would leave the port operator with almost no tradable stock — the EGX requires a minimum 10% free float to remain listed — a question the FRA will have to answer before the offer clears. At EGP 27.47 per share, the offer sits about 17% below the stock’s current trading price of EGP 33.20, giving freefloat shareholders little incentive to tender.

REFRESHER- The Holding Company confirmed in June it wouldn’t sell, bearing out our exclusive that the Transport Ministry — which sits above two of ALCN’s shareholders, the Alexandria Port Authority and the Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport — would reject the sweetened bid.

Why this matters: ALCN’s two terminals, spanning roughly 1.6 km of quay across the Alexandria and El Dekheila ports — a complex that handles about 60% of Egypt’s foreign trade — and wired into the national rail network, carry a combined capacity of 1.5 mn TEUs. That’s only about three-quarters of the 2 mn TEU of container capacity the two ports are designed to handle. ALCN is also a cashcow, with revenue of EGP 8.37 bn in FY 2024/25 and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 64%. Its income has grown 228% since 2022.

EGA exports its tech, Keep Converting raises USD 2 mn, Hafeet Rail moves closer, IHC boosts UAE space ambitions, Edge + Safran team up again

UAE aluminium tech heads to India

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is exporting something far more valuable than aluminum to India: the tech used to make it. The UAE industrial major inked an agreement with India’s state-owned National Aluminium Company (Nalco) to license its homegrown DX+ Ultra smelting technology for a major expansion in the state of Odisha, as per a press release.

Nalco plans to build a 500k-tonne-per-year brownfield smelter expansion in Odisha, a project expected to more than double its aluminum production. First metal is slated to roll out by the end of 2030. EGA will license the tech for the new reduction cells, provide technical support during development and start-up, and train Nalco employees to operate the facility.

From metal maker to tech exporter: The pact is a marker of EGA’s effort to turn its industrial know-how into an exportable business — it licensed DX+ Ultra to Aluminium Bahrain for its Line 6 expansion in 2016. EGA has also been looking outward in recent months following damage to its Al Taweelah smelter during the war.

Another Odisha play: The state on India’s east coast is a key mineral producer and is India’s largest producer of aluminum and steel. Its government is already eyeing more collaboration with the UAE across several sectors through a visit this week. IHC also moved early, inking an MoU with Odisha for a USD 11.5 bn integrated aluminium complex in July.

Keep Converting raises USD 2 mn to turn window shoppers into buyers

Dubai-headquartered Keep Converting, an AI-native conversion optimization startup, has raised USD 2 mn in a pre-seed round led by Dubai’s Nuwa Capital and Cotu Ventures, according to a press release. The round will fund merchant onboarding and the expansion of its engineering team.

How it works: Keep Converting was founded by former Vezeeta CPO Mohammad El Mougi and former TikTok Shop US product executive Manuel Prinz. The company says roughly 98% of visitors leave e-commerce sites without making a purchase. Its solution is to use AI to rebuild product pages in real time based on the individual visitor. The platform continuously tests multiple AI-generated page versions and promotes those most likely to convert. The company is already integrated with platforms including Shopify and Adobe Commerce.

Hafeet Rail moves forward

Oman has pushed Hafeet Rail another step toward the finish line: Oman has formally ratified its railway agreement with the UAE, clearing a key government step for the USD 2.5 bn Hafeet Rail project as construction advances on the cross-border network, Gulf News reports. The 238-km railway will connect Sohar to the UAE’s national rail network through Al Buraimi and Al Ain.

Hafeet is already well beyond the planning stage: The project has secured USD 1.5 bn in debt financing, and construction was around 40% complete earlier this year, with work underway across Al Ain, Al Buraimi, Sohar, and Wadi Al Jizzi. The line has a planned freight capacity of around 15k tons per trip, while Noatum Logistics has also lined up a daily container service between Oman and the UAE, running seven trains a week at 276 TEUs per train once operations begin.

IHC boosts UAE space ambitions

International Holding Company (IHC) is formalizing its position in Marlan Holding, agreeing to take an 80% stake in the space venture, according to a disclosure (pdf). IHC has been “affiliated” with Marlan since at least 2024, when it helped set up Marlan's satellite-manufacturing JV with US space infrastructure firm Loft Orbital. This transaction, which would run through IHC subsidiary International Tech Group and remains subject to regulatory approval, converts that overlap into a direct stake. Financial terms were not disclosed.

BACKGROUND-The actual backer of Marlan was Abu Dhabi’s Royal Group, which owns roughly 61% of IHC, and the two are chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

That JV, Orbitworks, is the venture’s main asset. Orbitworks recently said that it’s investing USD 1 bn through 2030 to expand its satellite network, after the UAE cabinet said it aims to double space economy revenues and grow export markets.

Edge, Safran team up on smart weapons + production

Edge is still on its manufacturing drive after the war with Iran highlighted the need for secure and reliable defense supply chains. Brazilian smart-weapons maker Siatt, in which the state defense firm holds a 50% stake, and France’s Safran Electronics and Defense are planning to set up rocket motor production capabilities in Siatt’s Brazil facility, Wam reports. The agreement came as part of an MoU to collaborate on missile systems, loitering munitions, and other smart weapons, which use AI in onboard computers for self-guidance.

The hedge fund industry's biggest players added USD 224 bn in 20 months

The nine largest hedge funds have added a combined USD 224 bn in assets since early last year — and Millennium Management is closing in fastest on a threshold almost no one in the industry has crossed, Bloomberg writes in its latest Big Take. It now manages USD 97 bn and is set to lock in USD 22 bn in fresh commitments on 1 October, enough to push assets toward USD 130 bn within a few years if its usual double-digit returns hold. AQR has already cleared USD 140 bn; DE Shaw added USD 40 bn in 19 months to reach USD 90 bn; and a half-dozen more firms have topped USD 75 bn — the most ever to do so at once.

The money coming in is changing: Wealthy individuals — not only pensions and endowments — are funding the growth; they already make up 30-40% of Millennium's assets.

Why it matters: Industry-wide hedge fund assets hit USD 5.6 tn at midyear, up 25% since the end of 2024 — but growth is concentrating, not spreading. Multistrategy funds tend to hold similar positions and can be forced to unwind them at the same time, Ivy Invest Co-Founder Wendy Li told Bloomberg — a risk that's harder to see coming at a diversified multistrat than at a plain-vanilla equity fund.

Size needs to be managed, though: Bridgewater — the first hedge fund to cross USD 100 bn, peaking near USD 150 bn in 2021 — underperformed peers in 2022 and 2023. New CEO Nir Bar Dea then deliberately shrank the flagship Pure Alpha fund toward an internal target of USD 50-60 bn rather than chasing scale. Performance recovered — Pure Alpha returned 11.3% in 2024, ahead of the industry, and kept gaining through 2025 and into this year — and firm-wide assets have since climbed back to roughly USD 102 bn.

The Gulf is riding that wave: DIFC now has 100 registered hedge fund managers, with hedge fund AUM there over USD 700 bn. ADGM's own AUM grew 54% y-o-y in the first half of 2026, and Man Group and Capital Group both opened ADGM offices this year. Remember: Millennium reaffirmed its Dubai office in March, even amid regional tensions.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Asian markets are up in early trading. South Korea’s Kospi is up 1.3%, while chip-related stocks are driving gains in Japan’s Nikkei, which rose 0.5%. US equities are down across the board as investors assess ongoing developments in the US-Iran conflict.

ADX	10,021	+0.5% (YTD: +0.3%)
DFM	5,947	+0.3% (YTD: -1.7%)
Nasdaq Dubai UAE20	4,861	+0.6% (YTD: -0.6%)
USD : AED CBUAE	Buy 3.67	Sell 3.67
EIBOR	3.5% o/n	4.4% 1 yr
TASI	11,036	+0.1% (YTD: +5.2%)
EGX30	56,174	-0.8% (YTD: +34.3%)
S&P 500	7,674	-0.6% (YTD: +12.1%)
FTSE 100	10,812	-0.1% (YTD: +8.9%)
Euro Stoxx 50	6,413	+0.1% (YTD: +0.1%)
Brent crude	USD 99.48	+1.6%
Natural gas (Nymex)	USD 2.90	-0.5%
Gold	USD 4,392	-1.1%
BTC	USD 78,511	-0.9% (YTD: -10.4%)
Lunate JP Morgan UAE Bond UCITS ETF	AED 3.64	+0.0% (YTD: -2.9%)
S&P MENA Bond & Sukuk	150.71	+0.0% (YTD: -0.8%)
VIX (Volatility Index)	15.72	+2.8% (YTD: +5.2%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The ADX rose 0.5% yesterday on turnover of AED 991.8 mn. The index is up 0.3% YTD.

In the green: Abu Dhabi National Hotels Co. (+6.4%), Two Point Zero Group (+5.7%), and Fujairah Building Industries (+5.0%).

In the red: Fujairah Cement Industries (-3.2%), Invest Bank (-3.0%), and Bank of Sharjah (-2.6%).

Over on the DFM, the index rose 0.3% on turnover of AED 492.4 mn. Meanwhile, Nasdaq Dubai was up 0.6%.

CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER

7-8 September (Monday-Tuesday): Hili Forum, The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi.

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.

16 September (Wednesday): Altinvest, St. Regis, Downtown Dubai, Dubai.

17-19 September (Thursday-Saturday): International Real Estate & Investment Show (IREIS), Adnec, Abu Dhabi.

18-19 September (Friday-Saturday): EuroLeague Basketball SuperCup, Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

28-29 September (Monday-Tuesday): Al Ain Future Business Forum, Adnec, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi.

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

OCTOBER

1-2 October (Thursday-Friday): MEIRA Annual Conference, Atlantis the Royal, Dubai.

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.

14-15 October (Wednesday-Thursday): Sharjah Investment Forum, Jawaher Reception and Convention Center, Sharjah.

13-15 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders, Dubai.

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

21 October (Wednesday): Reuters NEXT Gulf, St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, 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.

9-13 November (Monday-Friday): World Congress of Military Medicine, Adnec Center, Abu Dhabi.

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.

18-19 November (Wednesday-Thursday): Touchdown Middle East 2026, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi.

25-26 November (Saturday-Sunday): Doers Summit, Dubai Silicon Oasis, 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.

7-10 December (Monday-Thursday): Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi.

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

8-10 December (Tuesday-Thursday) Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association Show, DWC, Dubai Airshow Site.

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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