News
Dubai Modernises Dispute Resolution Framework with Landmark Law No. 9 of 2025
Dubai has taken a bold step towards enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of its legal system with the issuance of Law No. (9) of 2025 , amending certain provisions of Law No.(18) of 2021 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Total of the ten articles in the old law have been changed….
UK Faces First-Ever ICSID Climate Claim: The West Cumbria Mining Dispute and Its Global Stakes
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…
Nutella Declared a “Well-Known Trademark”: A Landmark Ruling by the Delhi High Court
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…
UAE Mandate: Influencers Must Obtain Advertiser Permit
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…
Corporate Confidentiality: Ex‑Employee Fined DH80,000 Over Data Leak
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…
UAE’s Non-Oil Economy Drives Over 75% of GDP in 2024: Legal and Regulatory Implications for Businesses
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…
ADGM’s Commercial Licensing Regulations (Exemptions) Order, April 2025
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). …
ADGM’s Digital-Asset Rulebook Overhaul — Key Legal Changes Effective 10 June 2025
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…
ADGM’s Mid-2025 Rule Updates: Digital Assets, Family Offices, Licensing Exemptions
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…
UAE Central Bank’s 2025 AML Blitz Tops AED 339 Million — What Every UAE Business Needs to Know
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…