Construction Foreigners invest $495m in Abu Dhabi property market By Pramod Kumar June 10, 2024, 4:22 AM Wam Total real estate transactions in Abu Dhbai reached AED19.4 billion in Q1 Foreign direct investment into Abu Dhabi’s real estate market reached AED1.81 billion ($495 million) in the first quarter of 2024, official data shows. The investment was made by 487 individuals, primarily from India, Russia, Canada, the UK, Jordan and China, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, the real estate market regulator. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week “The performance of Abu Dhabi’s real estate market in the first three months of the year underscores the sector’s increasing appeal to international investors,” said Rashed Al Omaira, acting director general at Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre. The growth shows encouraging signs for the remainder of 2024, he said. Overall, real estate transactions reached AED19.4 billion in Q1 2024, through 6,070 transactions. Sales and purchases made up nearly AED13 billion of that, representing 66 percent of the total volume. In February, Savills Middle East said property sales in Abu Dhabi’s residential sector rose 83 percent year on year in 2023 as new launches enticed buyers to the off-plan market. More than 8,000 units were introduced to meet growing demand in the UAE capital, with under-construction properties accounting for three quarters of the 11,200 transactions last year, the report said. Abu Dhabi launches unified economic licences Trump’s convictions no problem in Gulf, says Saudi partner AD Ports JV buys 95% stake in Tanzania’s port operator The emirate has benefited from a string of international hedge funds choosing to open operations in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, including Brevan Howard from Jersey, Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds, Blackstone and OneIM. “The market benefitted from a growth in investments from foreign nationals and sustained demand levels from the Emirati population,” Savills said.
Tax Income tax ‘not on the table’ says UAE minister The UAE has no plans to introduce income tax, economy minister Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri has said, dismissing speculation the country was in discussions to end its traditional tax-free status. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the minister also criticised the EU for keeping the Gulf nation on its blacklist of countries […] 3 hours ago
Energy Abu Dhabi’s Phoenix Group signs Ethiopian power deal Abu Dhabi-based technology conglomerate Phoenix Group has acquired an 80 megawatt (MW) power purchase agreement (PPA) in Ethiopia. It follows just weeks after the company launched a 50MW cryptocurrency mining facility in North Dakota in the US. A PPA is usually a long-term electricity supply agreement. The deal, secured in partnership with UAE cybersecurity company […] 3 hours ago
Tax Kuwait expects tax income to soar by 79% Kuwait expects its tax income to soar by nearly 79 percent annually when all taxes take effect within an International Monetary Fund-proposed tax reform programme. In a report published on Wednesday, the Arabic language daily Alqabas said taxes are projected to fetch Kuwait around 613 million dinars ($2 billion) in its 2024-2025 budget, which started […] 3 hours ago
Tech Elm buys PIF’s technology unit for $907m Saudi Arabia’s Elm Company has agreed to buy Thiqah Business Service Company, a wholly owned unit of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), for SAR3.4 billion ($906 million). Elm says the buyout will support its growth in the digital services space, localise technology and drive innovation. The completion of the acquisition will be subject to obtaining regulatory […] 2 hours ago