Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Dubai

Rising property prices in Turkey and the allure of golden visa programmes are driving many Turks to buy homes abroad

Golden visa lure draws Turks to Dubai real estate

An increasing number of Turkish citizens are investing in real estate overseas, with Dubai and Greece emerging as top destinations, according to a news report. Last year, Turks spent more than $2.5 billion, up 21 percent year on year, in foreign property purchases, Daily Sabah newspaper reported, citing central bank data. In January 2025 alone, […]

Healthier, vape-like electronic shisha that use electronic elements tend to appeal to female smokers

Shisha smokers turn to healthier alternatives

In the same way that non-alcoholic drinks are now a regular feature in restaurants and bars in the UAE, hookah smokers are increasingly turning to healthier substitutes to satisfy their shisha fix. “People are seeking alternatives that are better for their health yet do not impact lifestyle choices,” said Naim Madaad, a founding member of […]

A family strolls in Dubai Marina, developed by Emaar. The company's shares are up 5.5% on the DFM this year

Emaar’s overseas units struggle to match home gains

Dubai real estate developer Emaar Properties is doing well at home but its international operations – notably in India – are more chequered. Last year, Emaar posted a near 50 percent increase in earnings to AED5 billion ($1.4 billion). Its shares on the Dubai Financial Market are up 5.5 percent so far this year. By […]

A couple enjoy the luxury of the Underwater Suite at Dubai's Atlantis hotel

Demand for luxury keeps Dubai hotel openings upscale

Dubai’s traditional love of luxury hotels shows no signs of slowing. Five-star hotel openings dominated the sector in 2024, although industry experts insist mid-range and budget segments remain vital to the emirate’s long-term hospitality growth.  Last year, nearly two-thirds of new hotel rooms added in 2024 were in the luxury and upper upscale segments, according […]

Dune Part Two, a Warner Bros film, has grossed more than $700m worldwide. Warner Bros Discovery is targeting the Mena streaming market

Warner Bros Discovery buys 30% stake in OSN Streaming

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has bought a stake in a subsidiary of Dubai-based satellite TV company Orbit Showtime Network Group, in an attempt to tap into the rapidly expanding Middle Eastern streaming market. The US-based media and entertainment conglomerate will acquire a 30 percent stake in OSN Streaming for KD17.5 million ($57 million), Kuwait Projects […]

2BK5X38 Dubai Gold Souk, United Arab Emirates A shopper studies a display in the gold souk in Dubai. Investors are turning to gold in the face of economic uncertainty

Gold exports to UAE surge on Trump tariff war

Imports of physical gold from Switzerland to the UAE almost doubled month on month in February as investors turned to so-called safe haven assets against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s tariff war and diverging global interest rate policies. According to Swiss customs data 3,465kg of the precious metal was imported to the UAE […]

Boy, Child, Male. Nord Anglia operates more than 80 schools in 33 countries, educating more than 90,000 students

Dubai Holding is a buyer of UK’s Nord Anglia schools

Dubai Holding, the personal investment portfolio of the ruler of the emirate, is among a group of companies that bought the UK school operator Nord Anglia Education for $14.5 billion. Other investors include the Swedish investment group EQT and Neuberger Berman from the US. Nord Anglia operates more than 80 schools in 33 countries, educating […]

The planned $35 billion expansion of Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport could generate work for UK companies

UK pushing for increase in business with UAE

Britain is “very keen” to secure business in the aviation, hospitality and financial services sectors and elsewhere in Dubai and the wider UAE, a UK trade commissioner has told AGBI.  A free trade agreement between the UK and the Gulf Co-operation Council, which includes the UAE, would support these opportunities for British companies, said Sarah […]

Gulf Islamic Investments CEO Mohammed Alhassan says the company wants to double its US assets to $1.5bn within four years

Gulf Islamic Investments makes US expansion a priority

Gulf Islamic Investments, Dubai’s financial services company which has more than $3.5 billion of assets under management, is aiming to more than double the value of its business in the United States.  GII’s US assets total $750 million and include an 80 percent share in ZSpace, a virtual reality education technology company with a market […]

Real estate tokenisation would allow buyers to own parts of Dubai's skyscrapers

Dubai moves to formalise real estate tokenisation

Dubai is running a pilot scheme that allows for the tokenisation of property title deeds, the first jurisdiction in the Middle East to do this. Tokenisation is the process of creating and trading digital tokens that are backed by real-world assets on a blockchain. It enables direct and verifiable peer-to-peer transactions. Through the process, a […]

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani

Emaar in talks with Adani over $1bn sale of Indian business

Dubai real estate developer Emaar Properties is in talks with India’s Adani Group to sell its Indian business for $1.4 billion, according to reports. The billionaire Adani family and Emaar are discussing the structure of a transaction, Bloomberg said, without identifying sources. An agreement could be reached as early as next month.  Emaar India started operations […]

Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism can now issue licences allowing businesses in free zones to expand into the wider city

Fences come down for businesses in Dubai free zones

Businesses operating in Dubai’s free trade zones will be able to expand their activities into the emirate’s mainland areas after a government ruling. The new legislation will allow the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism to issue licences or permits granting expansion into the wider city. Dubai has more than 30 free trade zones covering […]

Emirates NBD Egypt Banque du Caire

Emirates NBD downplays reports of Egyptian acquisition

Emirates NBD, Dubai’s largest bank by assets, has refuted media reports that it is undertaking due diligence on a state-owned Egyptian bank ahead of potentially buying a stake in the lender. Last week, Kuwaiti and Egyptian media published articles detailing how Emirates NBD – which has an Egyptian subsidiary – had begun examining the books […]

Nearly 19 million international visitors came to Dubai in 2024 Video length: 04:25

Short-term rentals appeal to Dubai investors

The holiday home market is growing rapidly in Dubai, with between 30,000 and 45,000 rental listings now compared to 7,000 in 2017. While they may no longer offer the 10 percent return on investment of a few years ago, rental properties are still an attractive and flexible option for investors, according to Anna Skigin CEO […]

Riyadh office space

Riyadh adds 10 times as much office space as Dubai

Riyadh added the most office space of any Middle Eastern city last year, nearly 10 times as much as its regional rival Dubai. However, the additional supply is unlikely to ease a chronic shortage of prime commercial property in the Saudi capital in the short term. Riyadh, which has a population of seven million, added […]

The 17 aircraft are expected to reduce DAE's weighted average passenger fleet age to 6.9 years

Dubai Aerospace buys 17 aircraft for $1bn

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), the Middle East’s largest aviation leasing and engineering company, has acquired 17 aircraft for $1 billion from multiple sellers, the company said in a statement. Eighty percent of the aircraft are manufactured by Airbus, while the remaining 20 percent are from Boeing. The aircraft have been leased to 11 airlines in […]