News

On 8 August 2025, the United Kingdom found itself in uncharted waters  slapped with its first-ever arbitration claim under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The case, Woodhouse Investment Pte Ltd and West Cumbria Mining (Holdings) Limited v. United Kingdom (ICSID Case No. ARB/25/37), is being brought under the 1975 UK–Singapore Bilateral...

In a significant legal development, the Delhi High Court has officially declared Nutella, the globally recognized hazelnut cocoa spread by Ferrero, as a “well-known trademark” under Indian trademark law. This ruling extends protection to Nutella beyond its specific goods and service classes, granting it cross-category protection against misuse and dilution. The judgment underscores the increasing...

The UAE has introduced a new compliance requirement for visiting influencers and content creators: anyone not residing in the UAE who intends to publish paid promotional content while in the country—even temporarily—must now obtain a Visitor Advertiser Permit.  This update is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to regulate digital advertising, protect consumers, and ensure...

In a landmark ruling reinforcing the sanctity of corporate confidentiality, the Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Claims Court has mandated that a former employee pay AED 50,000 in compensation to her former employer. The decision follows a legal claim brought by the company after discovering that she had leaked sensitive internal data via her work...

The UAE’s 2024 economic data marks a pivotal shift in its development trajectory, with non-oil sectors contributing over 75.5% of real GDP — a clear indicator of the country’s accelerated diversification agenda under the “We the UAE 2031” vision.  The figures, published by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC), reveal that the UAE’s total...

On 10 April 2025 the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Board published the Commercial Licensing Regulations (Exemptions) Order 2025 (“2025 Order”), issued under section 8(1) of the Commercial Licensing Regulations 2015. The new instrument revokes and replaces the 2024 order, tightening the criteria for who may operate in ADGM without holding a commercial licence (en.adgm.thomsonreuters.com). ...

Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) has completed the most far-reaching rewrite of its crypto rules since 2018. A notice published on 10 June 2025 confirms that the Board has enacted a new suite of rules and companion amendments that now sit inside the core ADGM rulebooks.(en.adgm.thomsonreuters.com) The changes are already in...

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has enacted a cluster of rule changes this spring that reshape how digital-asset businesses, family offices and exempt vehicles operate on Al Maryah Island. Below is a practitioner-focused tour of the four key instruments now in force.    Digital-Asset Framework Overhaul – 10 June 2025 A fresh FSRA announcement details...

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) is sending an unmistakable message in 2025: robust anti-money-laundering (AML) controls are no longer optional. Since March the regulator has issued a string of record-breaking penalties on exchange houses, bank branches and insurers, pushing the cumulative tally past AED 339 million and ushering in the toughest enforcement climate...

The UAE has introduced a new Federal Media Regulation Law, representing the first significant legislative reform in the country’s media landscape in over 40 years. This reform is a watershed moment for legal professionals, media practitioners, and digital content stakeholders, reflecting the UAE’s commitment to modernizing its regulatory environment in line with technological advancements and...