Arabian Post Staff -Dubai DMCC has launched a dedicated cybersecurity vertical as part of a wider restructuring of its technology ecosystem, bringing more than 4,000 technology companies under the newly formalised DMCC Tech platform. The new unit, DMCC Cyber, is designed to support businesses working across cyber resilience, digital trust, data protection, identity management, and governance, risk and compliance. It will sit alongside the DMCC AI Centre, […]
Grand Theft Auto VI has turned a viral comparison with Dubai’s Burj Khalifa into a wider debate over the cost of blockbuster entertainment, as industry estimates place the game among the most expensive creative projects ever attempted. The claim spreading across social platforms is striking: the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, cost about $1.5 billion and took six years to build, while GTA VI may cost […]
Dubai’s Jumeirah coastline is set for a major hospitality expansion as The Island by Wasl moves towards a planned third-quarter 2028 opening, bringing MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria-branded hotels to a waterfront development near Burj Al Arab. The project, led by Wasl Hospitality in partnership with MGM Resorts International, is one of Dubai’s most closely watched leisure developments because it combines Las Vegas-linked hotel brands with a […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The UAE’s non-oil private sector came close to stalling in June as the impact of the Iran conflict, softer tourism activity and cost pressures hit client demand, leaving firms with the weakest improvement in business conditions since February 2021. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 50.8 in June from 52.6 in May, staying only slightly above the 50 […]
Dubai’s off-plan office market surged to a record AED13.1 billion in the first half of 2026, surpassing the combined value of transactions recorded across the previous seven years and signalling a decisive shift in the emirate’s commercial property cycle. Developers sold 1,668 off-plan office units between January and June, compared with AED5.48 billion generated from 1,821 transactions between 2019 and 2025. The jump reflects a sharp acceleration […]
Dubai’s virtual asset sector has reached a fresh regulatory marker after the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority issued its 50th Virtual Asset Service Provider licence to Tribe Tokenisation FZE, strengthening the emirate’s push to build a supervised digital-finance industry. The licence, recorded on VARA’s public register as VL/26/06/002 and issued on 22 June 2026, authorises Tribe Tokenisation FZE for broker-dealer services. Its addition takes the number of active […]
Dubai’s top-end apartment market has moved from a narrow niche into a major source of residential sales value, as buyers increasingly pay more than Dhs10m for branded, waterfront and high-positioned flats. Transaction data for flat sales from 2016 to 24 June 2026 shows the scale of the shift. Sales of Dhs10m-plus apartments rose from 71 deals worth Dhs1.22bn in 2016 to 2,003 deals worth Dhs44.04bn in 2025. […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s property boom is giving way to a more measured investment cycle as buyers shift attention from quick capital gains to developer strength, delivery quality and long-term asset performance. A new investor confidence survey points to a market that remains broadly optimistic about Dubai’s prospects but less willing to chase rapid price appreciation after a long rally. The findings suggest that investors are […]
Dubai, UAE: As Dubai continues to attract property buyers from overseas markets, DSQ Real Estate is highlighting the growing importance of post-purchase advisory for international investors who own property in the emirate but may not be physically present to manage every stage of the ownership journey. For many overseas buyers, purchasing a property in Dubai is only the beginning. Once the transaction is completed, owners often need […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has opened the prequalification stage for contractors and consortiums seeking to build the Dubai Metro Gold Line, moving the Dh34 billion project from planning into the procurement phase. The authority has issued requests for qualification for the fully underground line, with interested contractors required to submit qualification documents by 17 August. The process follows an expression-of-interest stage launched […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Nasdaq Dubai has listed a USD 500 million sukuk from The Arab Energy Fund, strengthening the exchange’s Islamic debt platform at a time when regional issuers are continuing to tap international capital for longer-term funding and diversified investor access. The senior unsecured sukuk, issued through APICORP Sukuk Limited under The Arab Energy Fund’s Trust Certificate Issuance Programme, comprises trust certificates due in 2031. […]
Dubai’s financial regulator recorded another year of strong licensing activity in 2025, as the emirate’s financial centre crossed 1,000 regulated entities and Dubai rose to seventh place in the Global Financial Centres Index, its highest position to date. The Dubai Financial Services Authority licensed and registered 182 new firms during the year, a 16 per cent increase on 2024, taking the total number of regulated entities in […]
Varenne Capital Partners has opened a Dubai International Financial Centre office, giving the Paris-based investment manager a regulated foothold in the Emirates as global asset managers deepen their presence in the Gulf’s expanding financial hub. The new entity, Varenne Capital Ltd, is a wholly owned UAE subsidiary regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The move marks the firm’s first regional base after building its business across […]
Dubai will host the second edition of the World Sports Summit on 28 and 29 December 2026, bringing together leading athletes, administrators, investors and decision-makers for a two-day forum aimed at shaping the next phase of the global sports industry. The event will be held under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister […]
GEMS Education has recorded a modest slowdown in registrations at its UAE schools as families reconsider overseas moves amid uncertainty linked to the Iran war, though the Dubai-based operator says its expansion plans remain unchanged. Chief executive Dino Varkey said the private education group had secured about 90 per cent of its targeted new sales for the next academic year, including fresh admissions and re-enrolments. The level […]
Electric Way has broken ground on a 125,000 sq ft expansion of its distribution centre at National Industries Park in Dubai, a move aimed at more than doubling its operating capacity as demand rises from construction, utilities, manufacturing and data centre projects across the region. The extension is designed to strengthen the company’s bulk order fulfilment, warehousing, kitting and supply chain operations for electrical products including cables, […]
Dubai WoodShow 2026 opened with deals worth more than AED150 million, strengthening the exhibition’s role as a regional marketplace for timber, woodworking machinery, furniture inputs and advanced manufacturing technology. The three-day trade event, running from 22 to 24 June at Dubai World Trade Centre, has drawn more than 400 exhibitors from over 45 countries, with more than 600 international brands and five country pavilions. The opening-day transactions […]
Emaar Properties has pushed back the tendering process for Dubai Creek Tower by about three to four months, delaying the next major step in one of Dubai’s most closely watched landmark projects as port closures disrupt construction-material costs and pricing assumptions. The postponement affects the main tender for the redesigned tower at Dubai Creek Harbour, a project that has been on the market’s radar since its original […]
Dubai’s commodities market is preparing to launch a same-day physically settled gold contract, giving bullion dealers, refineries and institutional traders a regulated route to execute, clear and settle physical gold transactions within a single trading day. The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange will introduce its Gold Spot T+0 Contract on Monday, 22 June, positioning the emirate as one of the few global centres offering exchange-based same-day settlement […]
Dubai’s main commodities exchange is preparing to launch a same-day settlement gold contract on Monday, seeking to strengthen the emirate’s role in bullion trading as investors, dealers and refineries demand faster execution, tighter price certainty and reliable access to physical delivery. The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange, part of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, will introduce the Gold Spot T+0 Contract for bullion dealers, refineries, brokers, clearing members […]
DAMAC Properties has launched The Lifestyle Collection, a new apartment ownership offer with monthly plans starting from AED 1,999 across four of its master communities, as developers sharpen affordability-led campaigns in a Dubai housing market facing softer transaction momentum after a record-breaking 2025. The offer covers a curated selection of apartments in DAMAC Hills, DAMAC Hills 2, DAMAC Lagoons and DAMAC Riverside, positioning the company’s suburban and […]
Greenlogue/AP Dubai returned 23 rescued sea turtles to the Arabian Gulf, including a one-flipper survivor named Foxy whose release marked a fresh milestone in the emirate’s two-decade marine conservation effort. The release, staged from the Dubai coastline ahead of World Sea Turtle Day on June 16, brought together 22 green turtles and one hawksbill turtle after months of rehabilitation. Foxy, a green turtle that had lost a […]
The jump, flagged at an IBPC Dubai logistics session, reflects a wider disruption in maritime corridors linked to Middle East tensions, fuel-cost volatility, security-risk surcharges and capacity constraints. Paras Shahdadpuri, Governor of IBPC Dubai and Chairman of Nikai Group, said the disruption had tested businesses while reinforcing confidence in the UAE’s ability to respond effectively. “Freight rates have risen from $1,000 to $7,000, putting pressure on businesses, but the speed of response here has helped maintain confidence in uncertain times,” he said.
The impact is being felt most sharply by businesses with thin margins or long replenishment cycles. Consumer electronics, appliances, automotive parts, food products, textiles, building materials and pharmaceutical consignments are among the categories most exposed to higher freight, delayed vessel schedules and tighter booking windows. Importers face a difficult choice: absorb added costs, renegotiate supply contracts, delay shipments or pass part of the burden to consumers.
Dubai’s response has centred on route diversification, customs facilitation and closer coordination among ports, logistics operators, carriers and government agencies. The Green Corridor linking Dubai and Oman has become a critical pressure valve, allowing cargo arriving through Omani ports and airports to move overland through streamlined procedures. Customs declarations through the corridor rose from about 12,000 in March to nearly 100,000 in April, while the value of goods moved increased from Dh1 billion to more than Dh8 billion.
The corridor has helped sustain flows for containers destined for Jebel Ali, goods entering the local market and re-export cargo bound for other destinations. More than 100,000 TEUs have already moved through Green Corridor initiatives, underlining how quickly shippers have adapted to alternative supply routes. Food security shipments and refrigerated cargo movements have remained stable, a key benchmark for a market dependent on uninterrupted imports.
Freight inflation is not confined to the UAE lane. Global container benchmarks have moved higher as peak-season demand started earlier than usual and conflict risk reshaped vessel deployment. The World Container Index climbed to $3,549 per 40ft container in mid-June, while Asia-Europe and transpacific routes also recorded rate increases. Fuel costs, insurance premiums and route deviations have widened the gap between contracted and spot-market pricing.
The UAE’s logistics model has so far avoided the deeper breakdown seen during earlier global supply-chain shocks. Jebel Ali remains central to regional trade, while Fujairah, Khor Fakkan and Omani gateways have gained strategic importance as alternative access points. Cargo owners are mixing sea, land and air solutions to balance cost against reliability, making multimodal logistics a boardroom issue rather than a back-office procurement function.
The pressure comes at a sensitive time for India-UAE trade, which has expanded under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that entered into force in 2022. Bilateral trade reached $101.25 billion in FY2025-26, with the UAE ranking as India’s third-largest trading partner and second-largest export destination. Higher freight costs risk eroding some of the tariff and market-access gains achieved through the pact, particularly for mid-sized exporters and distributors operating on fixed price commitments.
Business groups say the crisis is accelerating changes that were already under way. Importers are adding supplier options in Southeast Asia and the GCC, splitting shipments across ports, increasing buffer stocks for critical items and using digital tracking tools to manage delays. Logistics providers are offering blended products that combine ocean freight, bonded trucking and air cargo, while retailers are reviewing inventory cycles before the next seasonal demand peak.
The strain is also prompting fresh attention to contract design. More companies are inserting freight-adjustment clauses, separating shipping costs from product pricing and seeking clearer force-majeure language for geopolitical disruption. For smaller traders, the biggest challenge is cash flow: a container that once required a modest upfront freight payment can now tie up several times more capital before goods even reach the warehouse.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubizzle Group has taken a strategic stake in Tern, a UAE rental rewards platform, in a move aimed at extending its property business beyond search listings into rent payments, loyalty benefits and landlord-facing digital services. The investment, made through Dubizzle Group Ventures, will place Tern inside Bayut and dubizzle on an exclusive basis, allowing tenants to pay rent by credit card while earning […]
