Market Insights

Mandatory health insurance is now a legal requirement for private-sector employees across all seven UAE emirates. Employers must provide compliant health insurance coverage to sponsored employees, with visa issuance and renewal directly linked to active insurance status. Failure to maintain coverage can result in fines, visa processing delays, and operational disruption, making health insurance compliance a critical business obligation in 2026.

The UAE Civil Transactions Law has fundamentally reshaped contract law across the UAE mainland. Effective from 1 June 2026, the new legislation introduces mandatory good-faith negotiations, disclosure obligations, revised limitation periods, and expanded court powers. Every business signing contracts, negotiating deals, or managing disputes in the UAE should understand how these changes affect legal risk, compliance, and commercial decision-making.

The UAE Capital Markets Law 2026 marks a major shift in the country’s financial regulatory landscape. With the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) replaced by the Capital Market Authority (CMA), founders, investors, and businesses face new rules governing fundraising, private placements, crowdfunding, digital securities, and investor protection. Here’s what the new framework means for capital raising in the UAE.

AFS Pro corporate cards are bringing a new approach to business payments in the UAE, combining corporate credit and prepaid cards with digital spending controls and transaction visibility. Launched by Arab Financial Services and Mastercard, the solution is designed to help businesses manage expenses more efficiently through participating banks and financial institutions, marking another development in the UAE’s rapidly evolving corporate payments landscape.

The UAE’s competition framework now places greater emphasis on proactive compliance across everyday business activities. Companies should carefully assess commercial agreements, pricing strategies, market conduct, and merger transactions to reduce regulatory risk. This guide explains how anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position, merger notification requirements, and exemption rules apply in practice under the UAE’s current competition regime.

The UAE has fully activated its modern competition regime, with merger notifications now mandatory for qualifying transactions exceeding AED 300 million in combined UAE market sales or 40% market share. Effective from 30 July 2026, Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2026 introduces enforceable rules, stricter penalties, and new compliance obligations for businesses operating across the UAE.