Middle East: Corporate/Commercial Law

The UAE’s financial regulatory landscape is divided between the federal onshore regime and the country’s financial free zones. Businesses operating onshore may fall under the supervision of the Federal Capital Market Authority (CMA), while entities established in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) are subject to their respective regulatory frameworks.

The Israel Securities Authority has released a draft directive establishing new standards for investment advisors providing one-time services or dealing with alternative investments not traded on public markets. How will these proposed regulations reshape the duties of care, transparency requirements, and client protection measures for financial licensees operating under Israel's investment advice framework?

The UN's 15th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi has exposed how rapidly evolving technology is enabling sophisticated transnational criminal networks while revealing stark divisions among nations on how to combat these threats. The conference also marks a pivotal moment for the UAE's transformation from a grey-listed money laundering jurisdiction to a global anti-crime leader, even as deep disagreements emerge between major powers like the US and Iran over the future of internat

The Israel Securities Authority has published a draft directive that would permit licensed investment professionals to publish past performance data for the first time, marking a significant shift from the current prohibition. The proposed framework establishes uniform methodologies for portfolio managers, investment advisers, and investment marketers to present historical returns across three risk levels, with strict requirements designed to prevent selective disclosure and ensure transparency.

The Israel Securities Authority has issued a staff position clarifying when hybrid bank deposits with performance-linked returns should be classified as securities. This analysis examines the key characteristics that determined whether a deposit offering guaranteed principal plus variable returns tied to lending activity falls within securities regulation or remains a traditional banking product.

Israel's Knesset has introduced a groundbreaking private investment fund in trust regime that enables supervised mutual funds to invest in alternative assets for the first time. How will this regulatory shift affect fund managers currently operating under private structures, and what decisions must they make before the February 2027 implementation deadline?

For tech startups in the UAE, protecting new ideas is not only the law; it’s also good business. Your intellectual property can be your most valuable asset, whether you are making software, hardware, AI tools, or fintech solutions.

The DIFC Variable Capital Company (VCC) offers a flexible corporate structure for family offices, property investors, and asset holders through Segregated Cells or Incorporated Cells. This new vehicle provides ring-fenced solutions for managing high-value assets, intellectual property, and crowdfunding platforms in the UAE's financial free zone.

One of my favorite movies is the 1985 production White Nights starring Mikhail Baryshnikov. The setting, in Leningrad, as it was known at the time, today St Petersburg, was particularly striking due to the ‘white' nights of northern locations when the sun barely sets during the summer months.

Choosing between an SPV, holding company and foundation in the UAE depends on what you need the structure to achieve. An SPV can isolate specific assets, a holding company can bring businesses under common ownership, while a foundation can support long-term family wealth and succession planning.

ADGM’s 2026 commercial law changes introduce new requirements for nominee arrangements, foreign company branches, beneficial ownership records and certain cash transactions. Businesses should review their ownership information and compliance procedures to determine which changes apply to them.

Transferring company shares in Qatar involves more than agreeing a sale between shareholders. The transfer must comply with the company’s constitutional documents and applicable legal and regulatory requirements, with the new ownership formally registered before the change takes legal effect.