Events are being delayed, Adnoc cuts shipments, and fallback plans are in the spotlight

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WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TODAY

THIS MORNING: Have you booked your staycation yet?

Good morning, lovely people. We’re only a few sleeps away from the end of Ramadan and a much, much needed Eid break. Just a couple of final pushes.

Ramadan (and likely the upcoming break) are, of course, marred by the war and its disruptions. But some are already booking staycations — good timing for hotels and short-term rental operators to offset what is likely a huge drop in foreign tourist demand — and others have booked flights back home as airlines continue to bring more flights online. So, some things remain the same as ever.

While this past weekend was quiet on the public-safety-alert front, we weren’t spared news of strikes across different parts of the country, from the port of Fujairah to DIFC. We get into all that took place over the weekend in our Big Story Today, below.

And the biggest development overnight: A drone-related incident near Dubai International Airport resulted in a now-contained fire, prompting a temporary flight suspension.

Disruptions hit the oil and gas sector, financial services, and even events, with JPMorgan being the latest to reschedule an event — its MENA Global Opportunities Conference — which had been due to take place on 30-31 March, with no new given date, Bloomberg reports. Partners Group also moved its client annual general meeting in Abu Dhabi to Switzerland, near Zurich, on 13 and 14 April, while the annual Token2049 conference — which was scheduled for this April — was postponed until April 2027, according to a statement.

Our telecoms network developments could also be taking a hit, after Tech giant Meta reportedly halted construction on the Arabian Gulf segment of its massive 2Africa subsea cable network, as the ongoing war freezes marine operations in the region.

On a positive note: S&P Global affirmed its credit rating for Ras Al Khaimah in another vote of confidence for the country after it did the same for Abu Dhabi last week.

And business still seems unfazed — the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is continuing its investment streak, with a commitment to Dignari Capital Partners’ APAC Developed Markets Private Credit Strategy. Plus: A handful of startups have announced their funding rounds, and we speak to the co-founder of one of them to understand how his AI finance management platform works.

WEATHER- A heatwave is upon us: Look for a high of 36°C today in Dubai and 37°C in Abu Dhabi, with overnight lows ranging between 23-25°C.

Supply chain watch

COMMODITIES — Gold is finding its way back into Dubai, just not at full speed: Partial flight resumptions out of Dubai have allowed some bullion shipments to restart this week after two weeks of airspace disruption clipped one of the emirate’s quieter but highly valuable trade lanes, Reuters reports, citing sources it says are familiar with the matter.

IN CONTEXT- We flagged earlier that war-linked flight disruption had started to dent Dubai’s role as a gold hub, with Ghana — which sends nearly 80% of its artisanal output to the UAE for refining — already weighing fallback export routes.

But the corridor is still limping: Flight traffic was running at just 37% of normal volume as of Thursday, according to flight-tracking data cited by the newswire, keeping ins. and transport costs elevated for a trade built around speed and security.

COMMODITIES — Dubai is also checking in directly with fruit and vegetable traders: Dubai Chamber of Commerce met with the Fruit and Vegetable Traders Business Group to address persistent pressure on food imports caused by the regional conflict, according to Dubai Media Office. The discussion focused on the availability of essential goods, diversifying sourcing options, and ensuring supplies keep moving smoothly.

ICYMI- The private sector is already running its workaround script, with NRTC increasing imports by 50% across land, sea, and air routes and Lulu Group International chartering frequent cargo flights into both the UAE and Kuwait. Meanwhile, east-coast ports, rail freight, and bonded trucking are quietly absorbing the rerouted load.

Policy is moving too: Alongside shaving customs friction on rerouted imports, policymakers have started steering more local produce into hospitality supply chains through a new 25% procurement target.

ENERGY — Gulf producers watch USD bns slip through Hormuz: The near-shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has already erased an estimated USD 15 bn in energy revenues for Gulf exporters, according to Kpler data picked up by the Financial Times.

The breakdown: The chokepoint typically moves some USD 1.2 bn worth of crude, refined products, and LNG every day (based on last year’s prices and volumes), and currently, at least USD 10.7 bn worth of cargoes are still stranded inside, awaiting safe passage. Losses are piling up unevenly, however, with Saudi Arabia alone missing out on some USD 4.5 bn in revenues since the start of the war.

Why it matters: While a portion of the shock is offset by price gains, as well as alternative routes — like the Adcop pipeline between Fujairah and Habshan in the UAE’s case — the disruption has still exposed the fiscal dependence of Gulf economies on uninterrupted export flows.

OIL — Asia looks to the US to diversify oil sources beyond the Middle East: The Hormuz chokepoint is pushing Asian countries to seek US energy suppliers as alternatives to reduce Middle East dependence, Bloomberg reports. US companies have secured USD 50 bn worth of agreements in the past 48 hours, US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told the business information service.

It would currently take around eight days to ship from the US, compared to 28 days from the Middle East via the now-restricted Strait of Hormuz. This is pushing Indo-Pacific countries to gravitate toward US energy exports, prioritizing logistical reliability over potential volatile tariff policies, Zeldin said.

PSA

Abu Dhabi is moving towards a multi-operator ecosystem for its autonomous taxi fleet: Autonomous taxis are now commercially available in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, with Abu Dhabi’s K2 subsidiary Autogo joining as a local operator alongside China’s Baidu subsidiary Apollo Go, according to a statement.

What’s next: Users can currently book rides at no charge via the AutoGo app. Once this pivots to a fully paid model, it is set to provide the first real data on consumer appetite and the unit economics of AVs in the UAE.

Data point

AED 1.1 bn — that’s the value of the UAE’s first T-bond issuance since the onset of regional tensions, which saw strong appetite from primary dealers and was 4.4x oversubscribed, according to a Finance Ministry statement.

The March auction, part of the 2026 issuance program, drew AED 4.85 bn in bids across two tranches. The first is a September 2027 bond yielding 3.73%, and the second is a January 2031 bond at 3.85%. Pricing remained tight despite market uncertainty, with spreads reaching as low as 16 bps over comparable US Treasuries. “The strong demand reflects investors’ continued confidence in the UAE's robust financial sector and resilient national economy, in the face of market uncertainty,” the statement reads.

The big story abroad

The regional war is still getting ink from all international dailies — no surprise there — as Washington raises the stakes. US President Donald Trump has warned Nato that it faces a “very bad” future if the coalition does not help the US in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, he told the Financial Times. Trump also signaled that he may delay his sit-down with China’s President Xi Jinping — scheduled for later this month — in efforts to pressure Beijing to act.

And in the world of e-commerce: Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has launched its online marketplace — Joybuy — in European markets, as it prepares to face off with its major rival Amazon. China’s largest direct online retailer has stepped foot into the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, diversifying its offerings away from its home market, where retailers face fierce competition vis-a-vis fast delivery times.

AND- This year’s Oscars are wrapping up as we hit send this morning. Among those who secured awards during the ceremony: Jessie Buckley won best actress for her performance in Hamnet and Sinners’ Michael B Jordan was awarded best actor. One Battle After Another took home the award for best picture.

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Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.

DIFC, Fujairah hit over the weekend

Iran’s warning that it would target US-linked banking interests rang true, with debris from an intercepted drone damaging the outside of a building in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC). The higher floors of DIFC’s Innovation One tower took visible hits, including smashed-in windows.

Iran continued its heavy bombardment over the weekend, with air defenses shooting down nine missiles and 33 drones on Saturday, state news agency Wam reports. Yesterday, the air defenses intercepted four Iranian ballistic missiles and six drones, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on X.

Oil and gas

Oil loading at Fujairah is back online after a drone-sparked fire briefly halted operations on Saturday, Bloomberg reports, citing people it says are familiar with the matter. While the Fujairah media office confirmed civil defense forces contained the fire with no reported injuries, authorities have not yet provided a timeline for a full return to operations.

It’s not just Fujairah: Massive fires broke out in fuel storage tanks at Oman’s Salalah Port on Wednesday after a coordinated drone strike.

IN CONTEXT- Iran issued an evacuation order for three major ports in the UAE — including Fujairah port — which, it said, had been previously used by US forces to launch strikes on Iran despite not being US assets, Fortune reports. The move marked the first Iranian threat toward non-US assets. However, no attacks have been reported so far at either Dubai’s Jebel Ali port or Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa port.

One takeaway: No oil tankers were present at the port’s oil loading points at the time, which says something about demand and access. Fujairah sits outside Hormuz and is connected to Abu Dhabi’s oil fields by a pipeline, allowing Murban crude exports to bypass the strait.

Still, activity in Fujairah continued shortly after: An Indian oil tanker safely departed for India from Fujairah with 80.8k tons of the UAE’s Murban oil, Reuters reports, citing India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry. The ministry said 22 Indian vessels remain stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz, while two state-owned LPG carriers successfully transited the strait over the weekend after Iran allowed them passage, delivering fuel to Indian ports.

PLUS- Adnoc is cutting its onshore shipments: In a strategic shift to bypass the Strait of Hormuz — which has come to a virtual standstill — Adnoc has reportedly cut onshore crude shipments to its equity partners by 20% this month.

Financial services

Citi is addressing the rumors: Citi issued a clarification following recent speculation regarding its Middle East operations, stating that its offices and branches remain undamaged by the regional war, according to the group’s website.

The group also noted it will continue to serve its regional clients, with no intention of leaving the Middle East, according to a post on X. The decision to evacuate their offices came out of concern for employee safety, the statement read, and was followed by a temporary closure of its local branches.

Elsewhere in the region

Our overseas consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan was once again struck in an Iranian drone attack for the second time in a week, which resulted in the injuries of two security personnel and damage to the consulate building, according to a press release. The Foreign Ministry condemned it as an “unprovoked terrorist attack and a flagrant violation of international norms and laws,” calling on Iraq’s government to investigate the attack and hold the perpetrators accountable.

US President Donald Trump has stated that Iran is seeking a truce to end the war, but the US rejected the request, asking for “better terms” without clarifying what the terms are, Bloomberg News Now reports (listen, runtime: 5:02). Trump also called on allies, including China, Japan, France, South Korea, and the UK, to deploy warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

S&P affirms RAK’s A/A-1 rating

S&P Global kept Ras Al Khaimah’s rating at A/A-1 with a stable outlook, signaling that the emirate’s fiscal fortress is strong enough to withstand the direct impact of Iranian strikes on UAE soil, according to the agency’s latest ratings update.

That’s the second emirate getting a vote of confidence from the agency, with Abu Dhabi also seeing its AA/A-1+ rating affirmed last week.

The rationale: The affirmation rests on the government’s exceptionally low debt (7.4% of GDP) and net asset position of 23% of GDP, providing a critical shock absorber against the immediate fallout of the US-Iran conflict. S&P believes these buffers, combined with the UAE’s broader financial support framework, will allow RAK to keep its head above water even as regional volatility spikes.

But growth is getting a major reduction: The agency slashed its 2026 growth forecast for RAK to 2.0%, significantly down from its previous 3.6% estimate. The logic? While the strikes haven’t leveled infrastructure, they have wounded the sentiment-sensitive sectors — tourism, real estate, and manufacturing — that make up 60% of RAK’s economy.

The Strait of Hormuz is the pain point: RAK’s mining exports — which account for 15% of the economy — are more vulnerable to maritime disruption. S&P warns that while RAK can still service markets like India and Bangladesh, a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz will eventually trigger credit strain in the mining sector’s performance.

What happens to the Wynn? The USD 5.8 bn Wynn Al Marjan Island resort — the UAE’s first licensed gaming project — is the elephant in the room, representing a massive 42% of RAK’s GDP. While S&P expects the resort to open as scheduled in 2027, it warns that any long-term shift in real estate demand or regional security perceptions could jeopardize the project’s capacity to serve as the emirate’s primary diversification engine.

As far as we know, construction of the resort only saw a temporary halt but has resumed since last week.

Looking ahead: RAK is expected to run fiscal surpluses averaging 3.0% of GDP through 2029. This outlook will be supported by the introduction of corporate and gaming taxes from 2027, as well as dividends from state-owned enterprises like RAK Ports and Marjan, provided the security situation de-escalates.

Did the Gulf’s subsea cable buildout just hit a wall?

Tech giant Meta reportedly halted construction on the Arabian Gulf segment of its massive 2Africa subsea cable network, as the ongoing war freezes marine operations in the region.

What happened? Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the French state-owned contractor laying the fiber, has issued force majeure notices to its clients stating it cannot currently fulfill its contracts, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. ASN’s installation vessel, the Ile De Batz, is currently stranded near Dammam in Saudi Arabia.

ICYMI- The 2Africa submarine telecoms cable landed in the UAE earlier this year and was integrated into e&’s UAE SmartHub data center. The cable was the latest in a string of other subsea links, including the Al Khaleej subsea data cable linking Bahrain to the UAE and other Gulf states, the ICE IV cable linking Southeast Asia to the Gulf, and the UAE-Oman fiber link connecting Dubai with Barka and Salalah.

Why it matters

We could be looking at significant delays to work on the next-generation digital infrastructure in the Gulf. Work has reportedly also stopped on the Sea-Me-We 6 cable and Ooredoo’s FIG project.

The impact could be a heavier reliance on overland infrastructure. Internet traffic can be rerouted through terrestrial cables across Saudi Arabia and Oman, telecommunications research firm TeleGeography’s Alan Mauldin told the business information service. While this keeps the region connected, regional internet speeds could slow down as capacity is stretched, Mauldin explained.

The physical vulnerability of digital infrastructure is now in stark focus. Routine maintenance is virtually impossible right now, as repair ships will not operate in active military zones. This means any active cables damaged by the anchors of targeted ships — a scenario we saw play out in the Red Sea last year — will be offline for a long time.

CLOSER TO HOME- The delay could put a spanner in the Emirates’ agenda of becoming a regional traffic hub, as the UAE has been building a dense web of connectivity to form a digital bridge between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Growing AI compute in the region is also a key factor in the UAE’s connectivity drive, with megaprojects like the UAE-US 5 GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi likely to come with high workloads.

What’s next?

Even when the shooting stops, the subsea cable rollout won’t resume immediately. Intercepted Iranian missiles have left a trail of unexploded ordnance in the Gulf. The seafloor will have to be surveyed before cable layers can safely drop a single line, Mauldin said.

The persistent geopolitical risk could push tech giants to look for ways to bypass the Middle East altogether. Meta’s long-term backup plan, Project Waterworth, aims to connect the US, India, South Africa, and Brazil, though it remains years away from completion.

Adia makes yet another real estate private credit play

A subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia) committed capital to DignariCapital Partners’ APAC Developed Markets Private Credit Strategy, according to a press release (pdf). The vehicle will focus on providing real estate financing across developed markets in the Asia-Pacific region, with a particular emphasis on Hong Kong, where it will offer short-term and refinancing loans and help convert properties into student accommodation and upgrade hotels.

The beneficiaries: The strategy plans to lend to developers, construction companies, financial institutions, and investors. It will target residential and office real estate, as well as retail, student housing, serviced apartments, co-living projects, data centers, and logistics facilities.

Adia’s on a real estate financing roll: The authority partnered with French investment firm Adrian last week to launch a new real estate secondaries platform. Back in 2024, Adia made an AUD 300 mn (USD 199.8 mn) investment in Australian real estate private credit company Qualitas Diversified Credit Investments, and it has been pledging bns of USD to private credit strategies across the world.

Why it matters

Private credit helps support borrowers in markets where bank lending has become more limited, particularly in jurisdictions that offer strong protections for creditors. It also “complements banks and supports borrowers’ needs for speed and certainty of execution,” said Mohamed Al Qubaisi, executive director of the real estate department at Adia.

AI finance management platform raises USD 1.1 mn

UAE-based AI finance platform Kudwa raised USD 1.1 mn in a funding round, as the startup looks to accelerate product development, grow its team, and expand across the Gulf, especially as demand for its AI finance management platform grows, CEO and Co-founder Karl Nasr told EnterpriseAM.

Who’s involved? The round — which closed in late 2025 but is only now being announced — saw participation from UK-based 1818 Venture Capital, F6 Ventures, US-based Sparked VC, Institutional Venture Partners, and Lebanon-based IM Fndng, according to a press release (pdf).

The pitch: Kudwa is “an AI finance manager that consolidates data, reports it, analyzes it, and then provides recommendations.” The platform is designed to address the manual work that comes with working across different systems, with the firm saying it sees strong demand from businesses struggling to manage fragmented financial data across multiple systems.

The company’s models combine machine learning with large language models, since statistical models found in machine learning help reduce the risks associated with language models.

“Finance people are the strategic partner of the CEO, and we intend to support them,” Nasr said. “We’re serving the finance manager and the CFO and the FPNA,” he added.

Crescent Enterprises’ XCath secures USD 30 mn in funding

XCath, a medical device startup partially owned by Crescent Enterprises, closed a USD 30 mn Series C financing round, lifting its total funding to USD 92 mn, according to a press release. Crescent Enterprises and Fred Moll, chairman of XCath’s board, co-led the investment.

The capital will be used to advance XCath’s Iris robotic system and to develop remote-assisted mechanical thrombectomy procedures, aiming to improve treatment for stroke and other neurovascular conditions.

About the company: Founded in 2017, XCath is developing the world’s first commercially practical endovascular surgical robot. Operating out of Houston, Texas, and Pangyo, South Korea, the company focuses on treating life-threatening conditions like stroke and brain aneurysms.

Taqa, Trojan appoint new execs

Abu Dhabi National Energy Co.’s (Taqa) shareholders confirmed a board reshuffle, tapping Jassem Al Zaabi as its new chairman, while Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Sultan Al Jaber — and Adnoc chief — was tapped as vice chairman, according to an ADX disclosure (pdf). Al Zaabi is currently vice chairman at the Central Bank of the UAE and chairman of ADQ-backed developer Modon.

Trojan taps new CEO: Alpha Dhabi’s construction arm Trojan Construction appointed Ahmed Al Shamsi (LinkedIn) as group CEO, according to a press release. Al Shamsi will oversee the company’s expansion across different international markets.

Al Shamsi brings over 25 years of leadership experience across the oil and gas, infrastructure, construction, utilities, and industrial sectors. He most recently served as CEO of Taqa’s Water Solutions. He was also chairman of the commercial printing and security solutions provider E7 Group and vice chairman of Emarat.

PLUS- Sherif Elbehery (LinkedIn) was tapped as CEO of the National Bank of Egypt’s Emirati operations, he told EnterpriseAM. Elbehery brings over 25 years of experience to the role, having previously served as CEO of Onebank — Egypt’s first digital bank — and held senior leadership positions at Banque Misr, Barclays Egypt, and Citibank.

“NBE has big plans in the UAE. We are looking into upgrading our DIFC license to offer a full-fledged investment banking experience,” he told us.

Rural capital is getting a formal invite

Abu Dhabi wants more private capital flowing beyond the usual urban suspects. The emirate approved a strategy to pull more than AED 1 bn into Emirati villages through tourism, hospitality, industrial projects, and real estate, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. However, no specific projects have been announced yet.

The pitch? Turn rural areas into investable micro-economies with their own commercial pull. Alongside the investment plan sits a parallel SME strategy, developed with the Economy and Tourism Ministry, aimed at helping village entrepreneurs reach national and eventually global markets — another sign the state wants rural development to gain more momentum.

Out with old hedges, and in with the new

Stagflation is writing the hedge book now. With oil threatening to keep inflation elevated amid softening growth, investors are looking toward alternatives like specific equities, option overlays, CDS, commodities, and the USD for protection while moving away from typical safe havens like bonds.

But first, what exactly is stagflation? Stagflation is what happens when the economy sees a toxic mix of inflation and stagnation of growth — usually accompanied by higher unemployment and tighter monetary conditions. Prices rise, but consumers’ purchasing power dwindles, and low economic growth hits business confidence. This often happens at times of significant supply chain disruptions. We went through what that looks like in practical terms in our explainer a couple of years ago, when similar concerns had been rampant in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Bond yields have soared as traders expect slower economic growth and a surge in consumer prices. Two-year US yields climbed about 9 bps on Thursday to their highest since August, while German two-year yields climbed 8 bps to 2.39%, and UK bonds rose as much as 30 bps to 4.17%, though later pared the gains, Bloomberg reports.

Stocks are also victims of the selloff: Global equities have shed USD 6 tn since the war started. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped more than 5% in a single day, the business information service reported elsewhere. The drop was relatively contained in the US, with the S&P 500 falling 0.6% on Friday — but the outlook isn’t looking good. JPMorgan has turned “tactically bearish” on US stocks, while veteran strategist Ed Yardeni assigned the S&P 500 a market meltdown probability of 35%, up from 20% earlier.

So what hedges are proving safe? Goldman Sachs Asset Management has added non-linear downside protection — think protective puts and options — and credit hedges, while Invesco is steering investors toward commodities routed through the Strait of Hormuz — aluminum and grains included — as shipping risk becomes an investable theme.

Currencies are snapping back to instinct: Bloomberg’s USD index is near a two-month high, despite investors entering the conflict positioned for USD weakness — what Barclays strategist Mitul Kotecha described as a market that had been “hedging America” before running back to the USD when the headlines worsened.

Not every refuge looks old-school, though: Chinese equities are holding up on diversified energy supply, Australia’s currency is drawing support from stronger commodity prices, and some Asian managers are rotating into nuclear-energy and digital-economy names instead of classic defensives.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Asia-Pacific markets are starting the week mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei and the Shanghai Composite down and the Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi in the green, as investors digest the latest developments in the regional war and fluctuating oil prices. Over on Wall Street, stocks are set to open in the red, with futures down this morning.

ADX	9,480	-1.6% (YTD: -5.1%)
DFM	5,426	-1.7% (YTD: -10.3%)
Nasdaq Dubai UAE20	4,391	-2.8% (YTD: -10.2%)
USD : AED CBUAE	Buy 3.67	Sell 3.67
EIBOR	3.4% o/n	3.6% 1 yr
TASI	10,887	-0.1% (YTD: +3.8%)
EGX30	45,927	-1.9% (YTD: +9.8%)
S&P 500	6,632	-0.6% (YTD: -3.1%)
FTSE 100	10,261	-0.4% (YTD: +3.3%)
Euro Stoxx 50	5,717	-0.6% (YTD: -1.3%)
Brent crude	USD 103.14	+2.7%
Natural gas (Nymex)	USD 3.13	-3.2%
Gold	USD 5,062	-1.3%
BTC	USD 72,513	+1.9% (YTD: -17.2%)
Chimera JP Morgan UAE Bond UCITS ETF	AED 3.67	0.0% (YTD: -2.1%)
S&P MENA Bond & Sukuk	150.55	-0.4% (YTD: -0.9%)
VIX (Volatility Index)	27.19	-0.4% (YTD: +81.9%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The ADX fell 1.6% on Friday on turnover of AED 1.5 bn. The index is down 5.1% YTD.

In the green: Abu Dhabi National Co. for Building Materials (+5.8%), Phoenix Group (+3.5%), and Gulf Cement Co. (+3.3%).

In the red: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (-5.0%), The National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (-5.0%), and Dana Gas (-4.9%).

Over on the DFM, the index fell 1.7% on turnover of AED 1.6 bn. Meanwhile, Nasdaq Dubai was down 2.8%.

Corporate actions

Abu Dhabi National Energy Co.’s shareholders approved a dividend payout of 2.2 fils per share for 4Q 2025, according to an ADX disclosure (pdf). This brings the dividend payout for 2025 to AED 5 bn, or 4.45 fils per share.

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.

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.

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