News

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has granted a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) licence to Crypto.com, marking a significant regulatory milestone in the UAE’s evolving virtual asset and fintech landscape. The approval makes Crypto.com the first Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in the UAE to receive this payment licence category, further reinforcing the country’s...

UAE Financial Hubs See Surge in Activity as Longterm Fundamentals Hold Strong   Global Asset Managers Forge Ahead with Middle East Expansion Strategic Insights on the UAE’s Evolving Financial Landscape Global asset managers overseeing more than $20 trillion in client assets continue to accelerate their footprint in the UAE and the wider Middle East. Despite...

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) has issued a significant new regulatory package, fundamentally tightening the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CFT) obligations for all Licensed Financial Institutions (LFIs) and Registered Hawala Providers (RHPs).  The new guidelines represent a pivot toward a more sophisticated, risk-based supervisory model, aligning the UAE’s domestic legal framework with the latest Financial Action Task Force (FATF) international...

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has released its performance report for the first quarter of 2026, revealing a significant surge in judicial activity within the Civil Family Court for Foreigners. Processing a total of 8,886 transactions between January and March, the court has set a new benchmark for efficiency under the emirate’s progressive legislative framework.  The...

A dispute over three shared words is testing the limits of prior rights, reverse confusion, and celebrity brand dominance — with lessons for the UAE and India    Introduction  The intersection of entertainment and intellectual property law has once again taken center stage with the recent trademark dispute involving Taylor Swift’s 2025 album The Life of...

Dubai’s Executive Council has approved a series of strategic economic, trade, and workforce measures aimed at strengthening the emirate’s regulatory resilience, supporting commercial continuity, and enhancing compliance standards across key sectors. The measures reflect Dubai’s policy-driven approach to economic governance, labour welfare, and institutional resilience.  The approved initiatives carry significant legal and regulatory implications for businesses operating in...

In a significant regulatory development aimed at facilitating trade and mitigating ongoing logistical challenges, Dubai Customs has issued Customs Notice No. 05 of 2026, temporarily extending the permissible transit period for goods from 30 days to 90 days. This measure reflects a responsive and adaptive approach by the authority to address evolving global supply chain...

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has issued a package of regulatory decisions aimed at strengthening governance, transparency, and investor protection in the emirate’s real estate sector. The measures have been introduced to implement Law No. (3) of 2015, as amended by Law No. (2) of 2025, and are intended to reinforce the legal framework governing property development and...

The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has issued a suite of four administrative decisions implementing Law No. (3) of 2015 (as amended by Law No. (2) of 2025) on the Regulation of the Real Estate Sector. These measures, Decision Nos. (24), (25), (26), and (165) of 2025 represent a targeted and pragmatic evolution of Abu Dhabi’s real...

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has ordered the closure of five healthcare facilities after inspections uncovered serious breaches of healthcare licensing and regulatory requirements.  According to the authority, the facilities have also had their staff suspended, with the matter referred to the Public Prosecution for further legal action. The closures and licence suspensions...