Dubai motorists will pay 5 per cent value-added tax on public parking and Salik toll services from June 1, 2026, in a shift that will raise daily transport costs while accelerating the emirate’s move towards digital payments. Parkin Company PJSC, Dubai’s main paid parking operator, will apply VAT across its services, including on-street parking, off-street parking, seasonal cards, permits and reservation services. Salik Company PJSC will apply […]
Emirates NBD has extended a AED367.3 million loan facility to Luxembourg-based CPI Property Group, giving the European real estate investor funding cover for deferred payments on a portfolio of ultra-luxury residential units in Dubai through 2026 and 2027. The transaction, equivalent to about $100 million or €86 million, is secured against 19 high-end residences owned by CPI Property Group, including 15 units still under construction. The assets […]
UAE economic growth is expected to slip into a mild contraction in 2026 as the Iran war disrupts oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, before staging a strong recovery in 2027 on higher crude and gas production, major energy projects and continued strength in non-oil sectors. The projected setback marks a sharp reversal for the Gulf’s second-largest economy, which has spent the past decade reducing its […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai has approved a second economic incentive package worth AED1.5 billion, lifting the value of support measures introduced in under two months to AED2.5 billion as the emirate moves to ease cost pressures on businesses and strengthen activity across key sectors. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Chairman of The […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai ARP Digital has joined the Fireblocks Network for Payments as its designated GCC corridor settlement partner, giving fintechs, payment service providers and financial institutions a regulated route into Gulf payment corridors through a single integration. The arrangement positions the Bahrain-licensed digital capital infrastructure platform as a settlement counterparty for Fireblocks’ global network, with live rails covering the UAE dirham, Bahraini dinar and other […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Fujairah has become the first completed passenger station on Etihad Rail’s national network, marking a significant step towards the phased start of UAE passenger train operations later this year. The station, located in Madinat Al Hilal, spans 51,900 square metres and places the east coast emirate at the centre of the opening stage linking Fujairah with Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Adhraa Al Mansoori, […]
Dubai has unveiled the Museum of Digital Art at DIFC Zabeel District, positioning the planned five-floor institution as the region’s first museum dedicated to digital art and new technologies. Launched by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the project brings together Dubai Culture and Dubai International Financial Centre in a cultural partnership designed to expand the city’s role […]
Dubai will mark Eid Al Adha with a 10-day programme of leisure, hotel, dining and family experiences from 22 to 31 May, positioning the holiday as a major citywide driver for tourism, hospitality and retail activity. The programme forms part of the Season of Wulfa, a Dubai calendar built around community, family bonds and shared cultural occasions. It also aligns with the UAE’s Year of the Family, […]
Hundreds of shoppers queued through the night at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates for a Swatch and Audemars Piguet launch that was called off after crowding raised public safety concerns. The cancelled May 16 sale of the Royal Pop collection turned a marketing triumph into a crowd-management test for one of the luxury sector’s most closely watched collaborations. The pocket watches, priced at about Dh1,530 […]
Dubai will host a high-level Africa investment forum on 22 October 2026 as Invest Africa and the Government of the United Arab Emirates move to deepen trade, finance and technology partnerships across one of the world’s fastest-growing economic corridors. The Africa Debate – UAE, organised in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade, will bring senior figures from government, finance, industry and development institutions under the […]
Dubai Customs has reported a sharp rise in cargo handled through its Green Corridor with Oman, underscoring the growing importance of alternative land routes as disruptions to sea lanes reshape regional supply chains. Customs declarations processed through the corridor jumped from about 12,000 in March to nearly 100,000 in April 2026, while the declared value of goods moved through the route rose from AED1 billion to more […]
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has completed 80 per cent of the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel Project, advancing a major part of the Al Shindagha Corridor programme designed to cut journey times from 104 minutes to 16 minutes by 2030. Spanning 1,650 metres, the tunnel extends from the end of the Infinity Bridge ramp in Deira to the intersection of Al Khaleej Street and Al Wuheida Street. […]
Dubai Opera will host MODANSE on 17 May 2026, bringing a one-night ballet programme built around the meeting point of classical dance, couture and the life of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. The performance, scheduled to begin at 8pm, will be staged in the Main Auditorium, with doors opening at 7.30pm. Tickets start from AED395, and the event is being presented by M Premiere and MuzArts as a third-party […]
Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and the Roads and Transport Authority have opened applications for artists, designers and architects to transform more than 40 road tunnels across the emirate into public art landmarks, widening the city’s effort to embed culture into everyday urban movement. The Dubai Tunnels Initiative is inviting Emirati and UAE-based creative professionals to submit proposals from 11 May to 15 June 2026. The programme […]
Dubai is positioning itself as a citywide stage for blockchain and Web3 activity as MENA Blockchain Week opens a decentralised programme designed to connect founders, investors, institutions, regulators and technology communities across multiple venues. MENA Blockchain Week, known as MENABCW, has been launched as a seven-day initiative running from 18 to 24 May 2026, with Dubai serving not as a single conference location but as the broader […]
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed Modi on arrival, underscoring the personal diplomacy that has become a defining feature of ties between the two leaders. The visit opened the first leg of Modi’s five-nation tour, which is scheduled to include the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy between May 15 and 20.
The Abu Dhabi stop carries immediate strategic weight for New Delhi as energy markets remain exposed to geopolitical pressure and supply uncertainty. Discussions between the two sides were centred on long-term energy arrangements, petroleum reserves, liquefied petroleum gas supply and a wider defence framework, reflecting the broadening scope of a relationship once driven largely by trade, remittances and crude oil.
Agreements signed during the visit covered defence cooperation, petroleum reserve collaboration and LPG supply. The defence pact points to a gradual shift in the partnership towards security coordination, technology exchange and maritime stability, particularly as both countries seek to protect trade routes and energy flows across the Arabian Sea, the Gulf and the wider West Asia region.
Energy remains the strongest pillar of the relationship. The UAE is among India’s key suppliers of crude oil and gas, while Abu Dhabi’s state-linked energy companies have already taken part in India’s strategic petroleum reserve programme. New Delhi has been seeking to expand reserve capacity as part of a long-term effort to cushion the economy from global supply shocks, currency pressure and price spikes.
For Abu Dhabi, the visit fits a broader strategy of deepening ties with major Asian economies while positioning the UAE as an energy, finance, logistics and technology hub. The UAE’s investment push into ports, renewable energy, infrastructure, food corridors and financial services has increasingly aligned with India’s priorities in manufacturing, digital infrastructure and supply-chain diversification.
Bilateral trade has grown strongly since the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement came into force in 2022. The pact reduced tariffs on a wide range of goods and helped accelerate commerce in gems and jewellery, petroleum products, food, metals, machinery and services. Both sides have set ambitious targets to lift non-oil trade, while businesses have expanded their use of rupee-dirham settlement mechanisms and cross-border payment links.
The partnership has also moved deeper into technology. Artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, data centres, financial technology and advanced computing have emerged as major areas of cooperation, especially after high-level exchanges earlier this year involving Sheikh Mohamed and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The proposed deployment of advanced computing infrastructure in India, with UAE-linked institutions and companies involved, has reinforced the technology dimension of the relationship.
People-to-people ties remain central to the diplomatic equation. The UAE hosts one of the largest overseas communities from India, with millions working across construction, services, health care, finance, aviation, education and technology. Their remittances and social links have long shaped the political warmth between the two countries, while improved consular services, labour welfare frameworks and easier travel arrangements remain important issues in bilateral engagement.
Modi’s Abu Dhabi visit also follows a sequence of symbolic gestures that have strengthened the public profile of the relationship. Sheikh Mohamed visited India in January this year, while senior members of Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s ruling families have taken part in major diplomatic and technology engagements. Modi’s 2024 visit to the UAE included the inauguration of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, a project presented by both sides as a marker of tolerance and cultural connection.
Aldar Properties has bought a residential and community retail project in Dubai Studio City for AED1.1 billion, marking a fresh step in the Abu Dhabi developer’s push to expand its recurring income base in Dubai’s fast-growing rental market. The acquisition from private developer SRG will give Aldar a build-to-rent community scheduled for completion in 2028. The project is planned around 312 homes across six mid-rise buildings, supported […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Zimbabwe’s export map is shifting sharply towards the Gulf, with the United Arab Emirates emerging as the country’s largest overseas market as trade, minerals sales and investment talks deepen between Harare and Dubai. Bilateral trade reached about US$4.1 billion last year, driven mainly by mineral exports and reinforced by a new pipeline of investment discussions covering mining, renewable energy, manufacturing, agriculture and logistics. […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s Gold Souq has come under a sharper regulatory spotlight after Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, led an inspection tour to assess whether merchants are meeting rules designed to prevent money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing in the precious metals trade. The visit placed one of Dubai’s most prominent retail and wholesale gold hubs at the centre […]
Dubai Basketball will face Buducnost VOLI in the ABA League semi-finals after the Podgorica club beat U-BT Cluj-Napoca 112-81 in the decisive third game of their quarter-final series, setting up a high-stakes meeting between the regular-season leaders and one of the competition’s most established sides. Buducnost secured the tie at Morača Sports Hall in Podgorica, turning a finely balanced series into a one-sided finish with a dominant […]
UAE property developers are expected to keep construction programmes moving and meet debt obligations over the next 12 months, as strong cash reserves and positive operating cash flow provide a buffer against softer sales, wider payment plans and geopolitical uncertainty. Moody’s assessment points to a market under pressure but not in distress. Sales momentum has cooled as conflict across the Middle East unsettles investor sentiment, yet there […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai International Financial Centre has reaffirmed the resilience of its financial ecosystem, saying global clients across banking, insurance, wealth management and innovation remain committed to Dubai and the UAE despite heightened uncertainty across parts of the Middle East. Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, said the past few weeks had tested regional markets, but had also underlined the depth of confidence among institutions operating […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai Holding has become the largest shareholder in Emaar Properties after Investment Corporation of Dubai transferred its entire 22.2723 per cent stake in the Burj Khalifa developer to Emirates Power Investment, a wholly owned Dubai Holding subsidiary. The transaction lifts Dubai Holding’s total ownership in Emaar to 29.73 per cent, giving the group a commanding position in one of the emirate’s most […]
Dubai’s financial centre has drawn renewed backing from global banks, insurers, wealth managers and financial technology firms, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a regional base for capital flows despite geopolitical tension and uneven global growth. Senior executives across the Dubai International Financial Centre ecosystem have signalled that client activity remains steady, with companies continuing to use the UAE as a platform for business across the Middle East, […]
