Capital outflows to be expected in the near-term as war tarnishes the UAE’s safe-haven status

1

WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TODAY

THIS MORNING: School’s still out + Markets open today for the first time since the war hit

Good morning, friends. Multiple fires broke out yesterday from Fujairah to Dubai after defense forces again intercepted incoming Iranian drones. But the loud explosions — which officials have made sure to remind us (every time) are from the interception of incoming Iranian attacks — were still much less frequent than the first couple of days of the conflict.

HAPPENING TODAY- All eyes shift this morning to capital markets, which are set to reopen after a rare two-daysuspension. Outflows are likely, pundits tell us in this morning’s Big Story Today, whether you’re talking about the stock market or foreign direct investment. Israel and the US continue to signal that the war has just begun, so it’s anyone’s guess what the final hit to investor sentiment will be.

Look for shares to be constrained by a 5% loss-limit on all listed securities on both ADX and DFM.

Analysts expect traders to start the day with a significant backlog of orders, which typically signals a “volatile open” where a sharp move in the first hour would not be unusual, as we reported earlier this week. Still, the highly “institutional” nature of our markets — with long-only capital serving as anchors — means we’ll likely be spared a complete meltdown. The 5% circuit breaker on price drops (while artificial) could help.

^^ We have a full rundown in this morning’s news well, below.

MEANWHILE- One industry that’s set to take the deepest hit: Tourism. We dive into the potential repercussions of the disruptions of the past few days — and of those yet to come — in this morning’s news well, below.

LITERALLY CLOSER TO HOME- Schools are going to stayremote-only until Friday to the dismay of every parent we know, but more stores and shops are reopening, including restaurants and retail outlets in DIFC.

Oh, and it gets better: We’re going to get rain today. Look for the mercury to hit 34°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, before cooling to 23°C in the former and 22°C in the capital.

FINALLY- You can find a rundown of what has happened on the ground over the past day, and the message that government officials sought to deliver at a presser in Abu Dhabi yesterday, in this morning’s War Watch, below.

From the Dept. of Get out of Dodge:

The General Civil Aviation Authority is running evacuation flights from UAE airports, state news agency Wam says.

ALSO- The United States government is scheduling charter flights to evacuate Americans in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, the State Department said in a statement.

ANOTHER WAY OUT? — Abu Dhabi is testing a backup route for people and cargo — just in case… Etihad Rail ran a passenger train trial of the line linking Al Ghuwaifat on the Saudi border to Al Faya in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Media Office said. Al Ghuwaifat sits at one of the UAE’s key western entry points from Saudi Arabia. Connecting it directly to Al Faya — which has a major dry port linked to Khalifa Port.

AND- Some travelers are paying as much as EUR 200k for luxury flights to Europe via airports spared from attack, the Associated Press reports.

Watch this space: The accidental transport edition

SUPPLY CHAINS — Asia-based traders are scrambling to find alternatives for dry sulfur supplies stranded in the Gulf, a critical input for fertilizers and nickel processing, Bloomberg reports

Why it matters to us: As one of the world’s top exporters of sulfur, the UAE sits at the heart of a trade route that accounts for roughly 50% — 20 mn tons — of global seaborne sulfur trade.

What it means: Lost revenue for domestic producers and higher prices across Asia.

The movement of gold bullion into and out of the UAE is also taking a hit, the business information service reports, thanks to the cancellation of flights. The UAE has become a major hub for refining, exporting, and transhipping the precious metal from markets like London and Switzerland.

TRANSPORT — Chinese robotaxi operators including autonomous driving firm WeRide have hit “pause” on Dubai operations, Reuters reports. The company said its fleet is still running in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, but staff are working from home and avoiding unnecessary trips to stay safe.

WeRide’s competitors are “monitoring the situation,” including Baidu’s Apollo Go and Pony.ai, which paused trials of its vehicles in Dubai.

BACKGROUND- Dubai opened its first autonomous vehicle operations and control center — Baidu’s first outside China — to oversee fleet operations, charging, maintenance, and safety. The commercial launch of Apollo Go was targeted for 1Q 2026.

Energy watch

Energy prices are rising, but … not as fast as some had feared? With drone attacks knocking out one of Saudi Arabia’s largest refineries and the world’s largest LNG export facility in Qatar — and despite ins. costs and security risks continuing to choke traffic through Hormuz — prices are nowhere near crisis mode, Oxford Economics says in a note seen by EnterpriseAM.

What’s the tipping point? Somewhere near USD 130 per barrel, the firm says.

Oxford cut global supply forecast by 4 mn bbl / d for the next quarter, with its base case assuming Hormuz traffic runs 50% below normal for two months, with roughly 6 mn bbl / d of Gulf crude rerouted via alternative pipelines, including the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline. US shale can respond within three to six months, OECD members hold 90 days of stocks, China is sitting on record-high inventories, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE together hold some 3.5 mn bbl / d of spare capacity.

MEANWHILE- The US Navy will escort oil tankers through the Gulf, US President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network. The US International Development Finance Corporation will at the same time provide ins. for oil tankers in the Gulf at a “very reasonable price,” he added.

“No matter what, the United States will ensure the free flow of energy to the world,” Trump added.

Easier said than done, experts say: While the rise of crude prices stalled briefly after Trump’s announcement, it will take weeks, not days, to get tankers moving again, experts warn.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it has hit 10 oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Al Arabiya reports.

Happening today

S&P Global is publishing its Purchasing Managers’ Index report for February shortly after we hit dispatch. It will be interesting to see if prospects of the war — if not the war itself, which started on 28 February — have factored into purchasing managers’ forecasts, potentially putting the index on track to fall from its high of 54.9 — well above the 50 mark indicating growth — in January.

The big story abroad

The latest on the escalating regional war continues to dominate the front pages, which we dive into in the news well, below.

MEANWHILE IN BUSINESS NEWS- The world's largest alternative asset manager Blackstone has seen its clients pull out USD 3.7 bn from its flagship BCred fund in 1Q 2026. The private credit sector is currently facing scrutiny over valuation and transparency. Rival investment group Blue Owl’s decision to halt redemptions also placed a strain on the sector.

AND- French media group Banijay Group is merging its TV production business with rival Alll3Media, forming a single entity — which will become the world’s largest independent TV producer.

Look for “moderate” capital outflows this morning

Markets are reopening this morning and more people are returning to work — making today a litmus test for how investors respond to the damage inflicted by the war.

The biggest damage, as we’ve said time and time again, is to the Gulf’s reputation as a safe haven. But the hit to sentiment among both offshore investors and residents depends largely on the war’s outcome, BMI Middle East and North Africa Senior Country Risk Analyst Mariette Kas-Hanna tells EnterpriseAM.

“The unprecedented nature of strikes on cloud centers and energy facilities is likely to spook foreign investors, at least over the short-to-medium term, though high returns and strong reform drive could somewhat provide some tailwind to GCC markets,” Kas-Hanna said.

Moody’s also warned that strikes have likely shaken expat confidence, potentially leading to an exodus of talent, particularly in Dubai, Doha, and Manama, according to a report.

But it’s BAU for lots of us: Two foreign executives with businesses and investments here in the UAE that we’ve spoken to sounded an optimistic note. “It is business as usual [for us],” Suvo Sarkar, the vice chairman of wealth management firm Wealthbrix, tells EnterpriseAM. “We are fortunate to operate in a world-class financial jurisdiction with high-quality infrastructure and connectivity,” he added.

Of course, some will pull out: Regional stock markets’ performance so far this week and the number of expats who have evacuated signal a spike in risk-off sentiment. Capital outflows are expected given that markets will reopen while the war is ongoing, Kas-Hanna told us.

IN CONTEXT- Egypt, which hasn’t been dragged into the conflict, saw at least USD 3.7 bn in foreign portfolio funds exit its primary and secondary security markets since 22 February.

WHAT TO WATCH NOW: “SWFs are not tasked with stabilizing crises, at least for the time being, as markets are simply having normal reactions to an escalating war situation,” MENA economist Hamzeh Al Gaaod tells EnterpriseAM.

We’re looking at moderate outflows — but banks are so far in good shape despite rising risks, S&P Global wrote in a research note seen by EnterpriseAM. Banks will need to be watchful of credit risk as the conflict drags on, it said, but it stopped short of a doomsday scenario. Banks seem well-positioned to weather the outflow of capital from the region, which S&P thinks could be “moderate” in magnitude.

The bottom line: The duration and scope of hostilities will determine the magnitude of outflows.

Fitch Solutions’ credit market research subsidiary CreditSights has lowered its recommendations on several Middle Eastern banks to “market perform” from a previous “outperform” position, citing increased pressure on the GCC’s growth outlook, according to a note seen by EnterpriseAM.

Foreign investors are also likely to pull out of the market, CreditSights said, noting it now advises against property credits.

The bigger picture

BMI slashed its growth forecast for the GCC to 4.5%, down from 4.8%. It also cut the UAE forecast by 0.6 percentage points to 5%, according to Kas-Hanna. This follows JPMorgan’s reported move to trim its 2026 non-oil growth forecasts for GCC economies by an average of 0.3 percentage points.

Disruptions to travel, trade, logistics, and other non-oil business activity are to blame, with the hydrocarbon sector expected to weather a likely short-lived hit, Kas-Hanna said.

There’s (semi) good news and bad news. The good-ish news: BMI sees the war dragging on for a maximum of eight weeks given the economic cost on all parties involved, she said.

The bad news? Just more than four weeks of disruption to economic activity would see losses rise “materially,” with the UAE’s GDP expected to drop substantially to 4% in the case of a prolonged conflict, Kas-Hanna added.

War shock hits major Emirati economic engine

The region is holding its breath for a structural shock to its tourism industry regardless of how the ongoing conflict unfolds. Analysts and economists we spoke to over the past couple of days said the region’s aviation and tourism industries will suffer the brunt of the damage from the disruptions, as what were previously seen as safe havens — with a plethora of attractions and sunny weather year-round — will be seen through a new lens.

The data is sobering: Inbound arrivals to the region could contract by as much as 27% y-o-y this year, according to a research note from Tourism Economics seen by EnterpriseAM. That represents a swing of nearly 40 percentage points from prior growth forecasts — potentially wiping out as much as USD 56 bn in expected spend.

The impact was immediate: Cancellations of holidays more than doubled on 28 February after conflict erupted between the US, Israel, and Iran, Reuters reports, citing AirDNA data. The UAE saw 8.5k holiday rental cancellations that day, compared with a nightly average of about 3.1k cancellations throughout the rest of the month. The cancellation rate in Dubai and Abu Dhabi jumped to 43.8% on the same day, versus a February average of 14.5%. Most cancellations were for stays scheduled in March.

“GCC countries will see the largest losses in volume terms, as they are the largest destinations in the region which have previously relied on perceptions of safety and stability,” the research note says.

The airspace disruptions alone will be costly. More than 20k flights were canceled across the region in recent days, the newswire separately reports. Aircraft and crews are displaced, routes are being reconfigured to avoid closed airspace, and airlines face longer flight times and higher fuel burn. When airspace fully reopens, priority is expected to go to standard passengers and residents, delaying schedule normalization.

What’s at stake?

IN CONTEXT- The UAE is a major hub for inbound, outbound, and transit travel. The Middle East accounts for roughly 14% of global international transit traffic, placing Gulf hubs at the center of the shock.

Tourism is a top contributor to the UAE’s economy. It accounted for some AED 257.3 bn (USD 70.1 bn) of GDP in 9M 2025 — about 13% of output, state news agency Wam previously reported.

How long does sentiment take to recover?

Confidence in travel to the Middle East could remain weak through 2Q even in a short-conflict scenario, with gradual improvement into 3Q, Tourism Economics writes.

If the war lasts for two months or more, depressed sentiment could persist across much of the remainder of the year. Recovery, in other words, is measured in quarters — not weeks.

There are precedents: The 2019 attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities rattled markets but did not structurally derail GCC tourism. By contrast, prolonged instability in Lebanon in 2006 and in Egypt post-2011 saw multi-season recovery cycles.

UPDATE: AWS’ Mideast services are going to be down for a while…

Don’t expect Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Middle East data centers to come back online anytime soon. That’s the message from the company’s health dashboard for clients. AWS said on Monday that it would be “at least a day” before it could restore power and connectivity, but it has since stopped giving updates on timeline.

Where things stood as of late last night: The recovery is grinding forward, but its services in the region are far from operational. AWS said overnight that its core S3 storage service was showing improvement for new data, but still can’t reliably pull information that clients stored before the strikes — so anything you had on their services before Sunday is still inaccessible.

Most of its other regional services are impaired: A key database service is also down, and the combination of that and the S3 outage is cascading across other AWS services that companies big and small have traditionally relied on to run websites, apps, and other core business services.

WHY IT MATTERS- A who’s who of business relies on AWS. Case in point: ADCB’s website says this morning that its app and contact center are still down. Other services that have been hit by disruptions are coming back to life as they move to other AWS cloud facilities in Europe, the US, and Asia. Careem, Talabat, Alaan, trading app Sarwa, and Hubpay were all hit with service outages or degraded performance, but are now back up and running. Our website, EnterpriseAM.com, is back online this morning after we moved to a new AWS jurisdiction and manually restored missing data from our local systems.

We now know more about what happened: Two AWS data centers in the UAE were hit by drone strikes and a third facility in Bahrain was also damaged by a drone hit. Amazon spent the first 24 hours of the outage saying only that “objects” had caused “sparks and fire.” The strikes caused structural damage, knocked out power, and triggered fire suppression systems that caused water damage.

AWS is telling customers in the Middle East to get out of Dodge, saying it “strongly recommends” that clients move to US, European, and Asia Pacific regions. The company is also signaling that it doesn’t want to talk much about the issue, saying that from now on it’s going to be communicating “directly with affected customers” instead of posting public updates.

REMEMBER- As we wrote earlier this week, the episode is a stress test for the Gulf’s AI pitch as it collides with wartime reality. Analysts told us this week that in the compute era, data centers rank alongside pipelines as strategic infrastructure. Multi-regional deployment is no longer optional, Engagesoft’s Tareq Tahboub said, while Rimal’s Houssam Salem flagged the risks of hyperscale centralization. AWS itself now warns the broader operating environment “remains unpredictable.”

Officials look to reinstate a sense of stability amid ongoing attacks

We’re five days into the US-Israel-Iran war and analysts are still drawing up scenarios for how it might unfold. As far as impact on the ground: life remains somewhat normal, with people slowly going back to their daily routines (outside of work and school, anyway) in Dubai, though damage to digital — and oil — infrastructure is still a major concern.

Government officials addressed the public yesterday in a presser (watch, runtime:1:10:23) for the first time since the start of the war, reassuring residents and citizens of the efficacy — and durability — of the country’s air defense system, and reiterating their message that the UAE reserves the right to act in self-defense.

And there’s plenty of food to go around: Economy and Tourism Minister Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri says we have four to six months’ worth of stockpiles of essential commodities on hand.

MEANWHILE- Commercial flights in and out of the UAE are still suspended until tomorrow, but officials are locking-in agreements with its neighbors to open up emergency flight routes. Sixty evacuation flights have left in recent days, and the goal is to get to as many as 40 flights per hour in the coming period, Al Marri said.

The general message was clear: We don’t want an escalation of the war, and dialogue is the best way forward.

But the UAE isn’t going to take endless punches, either: The government is reportedly weighing military action against Iran to deter future strikes on the UAE, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Axios. An Emirati attack on Iran would be unprecedented.

Officials here yesterday condemned again Iran’s attacks, with state news agency Wam signaling that the UAE’s patience isn’t infinite.

Where do things stand this morning?

Here’s what we know as of dispatch time:

A drone strike near the US consulate in Dubai resulted in a fire that authorities contained with no injuries reported, according to Dubai Media Office ;
Falling debris from a drone hit the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone yesterday morning, though no injuries were reported and operations later resumed, authorities said on X ;
The Defense Ministry said it knocked out 11 ballistic missiles and 123 drones yesterday, with only one landing in UAE territory;

A drone hit a hangar at a French facility in one of its naval and air bases in the UAE, prompting Paris to deploy Rafale fighter jets over the UAE for protection, France24 cites Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot as saying;
Drones struck a fuel tank at Oman’s Duqm port, the second time the facility has been targeted this week, though damage was contained and no casualties were reported.

SOUND SMART- The attack on Fujairah is something to keep an eye on: Fujairah houses our sole bypass around the Strait of Hormuz — the Adcop, or the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which connects Adnoc’s Habshan crude oil processing plant in Abu Dhabi with the Fujairah export terminal on the Indian Ocean. We did a deep dive into the pipeline’s importance in a story last year — check it out here.

Agthia reports 2025 earnings

ADQ-owned F&B firm Agthia reported AED 239.8 mn in net income during 2025, marking a 27.5% y-o-y decline, according to its management discussion and analysis report (pdf). Its revenues came in at AED 4.8 bn, down 1.4% y-o-y. Excluding the float of the EGP and a one-time wheat trading activity, revenues were up 3.5% y-o-y.

The breakdown: Water and food was the only segment that saw growth last year, with its revenues up 14.6% y-o-y to AED 1.2 bn. Revenues from Agthia’s agri-business were down 8.2% y-o-y to AED 1.2 bn, while its snacking segment reported a 7.1% y-o-y dip in revenues to AED 1.4 bn, which the company attributed to declines in its Al Foah and BMB brands.

Dividends: The company’s board recommended a dividend payout totaling AED 183.7 mn, amounting to AED 0.22 per share, according to a separate statement.

Boardroom shifts at Dewa, Gulf Navigation, Taqa; new assistant minister named

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) appointed Ranganathan Sundar as CFO as of 2 March, according to a company disclosure (pdf). Sundar previously served as the company’s vice president for corporate finance and group tax. Outgoing CFO Thomas Varghese will serve as financial advisor through 17 April.

MEANWHILE- Gulf Navigation Holding’s board gave the nod to the appointment of Tamer El Akkad as CFO, effective since 2 February, succeeding Ali Abouda, according to a press release (pdf).

ALSO- Taqa taps interim CEO for its water solutions subsidiary: The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) named Nader Bin Taher (LinkedIn) as interim CEO of its water solutions subsidiary, effective 3 March, according to an ADX disclosure (pdf). Bin Taher succeeds Ahmed Al Shamsi (LinkedIn), who held the position since 2021.

About Bin Taher: Bin Taher — who previously served as the firm’s chief asset management and capital projects officer — brings over 25 years of experience in infrastructure and construction, including at National Petroleum Construction Company.

At the federal level, Mohamed Rashid bin Taliah was appointed as assistant minister of cabinet affairs for government knowledge exchange, state news agency Wam reports. Bin Taliah previously served as head of government services.

It’s the greenback’s time to shine

The USD is emerging as the safe haven of choice for global investors, with other usual safe havens like bonds and gold getting dragged amid the global rout that has hit stocks since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war. As the bonds and gold markets suffer, the Bloomberg USD Spot Index is heading for its strongest back-to-back rally in nearly a year.

This comes as fears of inflation have been stoked amid the spike in oil and gas prices, with Brent jumping over 8% on Tuesday to reach USD 85 / bbl for the first time since July 2024 and European gas prices jumping 36%.

A Bloomberg gauge of global bonds dropped 0.8% — the worst day since May — while yields on 10-year Treasuries climbed to 4.10%, up 16 bps from Friday. Meanwhile, Britain’s two-year gilt logged its sharpest two-day jump in nearly 18 months, and Japanese government bonds also fell.

Rate cut dreams? Parked for now. Markets now see just a 25% chance of a Bank of England cut this month, down from 75% last week, while money markets have trimmed expected Fed easing this year to 37 bps, down from 60 bps on Friday. Traders have even started penciling in a small chance of an European Central Bank (ECB) hike by year-end.

Policymakers aren’t dismissing the risk: ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane warned that a prolonged conflict could trigger a substantial spike in inflation and dent growth, while Amundi’s Monica Defend said geopolitics is reasserting itself as a recurring macro force.

And gold — which typically acts as a hedge against turmoil — dipped 5.6% to USD 5.03k an ounce on Tuesday, weighed down by a stronger greenback and inflation concerns. Gold had jumped as much as 2.6% to above USD 5.4k a troy ounce earlier in the week, the Financial Times reports.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

It’s another day with Asia-Pacific markets opening in the red as uncertainty triggered by the escalating regional war keeps investors on edge. The Kospi is down over 8% and the Nikkei is down 3.6%. For the third morning running, Wall Street futures are in the red.

ADX	10,454	-1.3% (YTD: +4.6%)
DFM	6,504	-1.8% (YTD: +7.6%)
Nasdaq Dubai UAE20	5,341	-3.1% (YTD: +9.3%)
USD : AED CBUAE	Buy 3.67	Sell 3.67
EIBOR	3.5% o/n	3.7% 1 yr
TASI	10,566	+0.7% (YTD: +0.7%)
EGX30	46,726	-2.0% (YTD: +11.7%)
S&P 500	6,817	-0.9% (YTD: -0.4%)
FTSE 100	10,484	-2.8% (YTD: +5.6%)
Euro Stoxx 50	5,772	-3.6% (YTD: -0.3%)
Brent crude	USD 82.12	+5.6%
Natural gas (Nymex)	USD 3.05	+3.2%
Gold	USD 5,124	-3.5%
BTC	USD 68,277	-1.6% (YTD: -22.1%)
Chimera JP Morgan UAE Bond UCITS ETF	AED 3.71	-1.1% (YTD: -1.1%)
S&P MENA Bond & Sukuk	152.96	-0.6% (YTD: +0.7%)
VIX (Volatility Index)	23.65	+10.3% (YTD: +57.3%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The ADXfell 1.3% on Friday on turnover of AED 3 bn. The index is up 6.9% YTD.

In the green: BHM Capital Financial Services (+14.7%), Sukoon Takaful (+4.2%), and Emirates Reem Investments Company (+3.2%).

In the red: International Financial Advisors Holding Company (-7.9%), Agility The Public Warehousing Company (-6.1%), and Emirates NBD (-5.2%).

Over on the DFM, the index fell 1.8% on turnover of AED 2.1 bn. Meanwhile, Nasdaq Dubai was down 3.1%.

CALENDAR

MARCH

19-20 March (Thursday-Friday): Eid Al Fitr, public holiday.

26-28 March (Thursday-Saturday): Social Capital Conference, Dubai.

28-29 March (Saturday-Sunday): Emirates International Congress on AI & Visionary Leadership in Transforming Healthcare, Adnec Center Abu Dhabi.

30 March - 2 April (Monday-Thursday): IAAPA Middle East Exhibition and Conference, Adnec Center, Abu Dhabi.

31 March - 2 April (Tuesday-Thursday): Arab Media Summit, Dubai.

31 March-2 April (Tuesday-Thursday): Investopia, Abu Dhabi.

APRIL

6-9 April (Monday-Thursday): Dubai AI Week, Dubai.

7-8 April (Tuesday-Wednesday): Dubai AI Festival, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

7-9 April (Tuesday-Thursday): Future Health Summit, Adnec Center Abu Dhabi.

7-9 April (Tuesday-Thursday): Middle East Energy, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

13-15 April (Monday-Wednesday): AIM Congress, Dubai World Trade Center.

13-15 April (Monday-Wednesday): The International Glass Manufacturing Show, Dubai.

14-16 April: (Tuesday-Thursday): International Property Show, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai.

21-23 April (Tuesday-Thursday): UITP Public Transport Summit, Dubai.

28-29 April (Tuesday-Wednesday): Innovation Summit Middle East & Africa, Abu Dhabi.

29 April (Wednesday): Digital Transformation Summit, Sofitel, Abu Dhabi.

MAY

4-8 May (Wednesday-Saturday): Make It in the Emirates, Adnec Center, Abu Dhabi.

8-24 May (Saturday-Sunday): Dubai Esports and Games Festival, Dubai.

11-13 May (Monday-Wednesday): AI Everything Global, Adnec Center, Abu Dhabi.

11-15 May (Monday-Friday): Dubai Future Finance Week, Dubai.

12-14 May (Tuesday-Thursday): Airport Show, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai.

19-20 May (Tuesday-Wednesday): Capital Market Summit, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.

19-22 May (Tuesday-Friday): Abu Dhabi Water and Energy Week, Adnec Center, Abu Dhabi.

20-21 May (Wednesday-Thursday): Arab Competition Forum, Dubai.

JUNE

3-4 June (Wednesday-Thursday): Annual MENA Investor Conference, Ritz-Carlton DIFC, Dubai.

15 June - 15 September (Monday-Thursday): Dubai Mallathon, Dubai.

JULY

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

OCTOBER

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

Signposted to happen sometime in October 2026:

Abu Dhabi Space Week, Abu Dhabi.

NOVEMBER

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

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

DECEMBER

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

Signposted to happen in 2026:

Investopia Global Talks, Tashkent.

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;
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;
The commissioning of the seventh phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

Sections

About

Privacy & Support

Get EnterpriseAM daily