UAE Weekly Business News 23/02/2026

Ramadan Kareem

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UAE Weekly Business News: Issue 277 published 23 February 2026.

UAE FREE ZONE NEWS

Dubai South inaugurates new state-of-the-art facility for RH Aero (WAM 18/02/2026)

DIFC growth: Why the first 90 days matter more than registration numbers (Arabian Business 18/02/2026)

ArcelorMittal Projects to launch third plant at HFZA (WAM 17/02/2026)

Amarak Chemicals Launches 60,000-Tonne Per Year Sulphur Facility in Dubai (Government of Dubai Media Office 17/02/2026)

UAE VISA NEWS (inc. employment, Emiratisation, human resources, training and women)

GCAA, Abu Dhabi Aviation Group sign MoU on aircraft maintenance training (WAM 19/02/2026)

Dubai launches Unified Health Screening to streamline residency and workplace checks (Arabian Business 18/02/2026)

UAE BUSINESS NEWS

Eid Al Fitr holiday announced for private sector (WAM 23/02/2026)

DEWA reports 18.74% rise in electricity connection requests for Dubai projects in 2025 (Government of Dubai Media Office 23/02/2026)

Empower Commences Design of Fifth District Cooling Plant in Business Bay with 44,000 RT Capacity(Government of Dubai Media Office 23/02/2026)

Dubai’s office market values surge to AED13.1b in 2025 (Khaleej Times 23/02/2026)

RTA awards contract for Phase II of Hessa Street Development (WAM 22/02/2026)

Museum of the Future receives 5 million visitors since opening (WAM 22/02/2026)

RTA Awards Contract for Phase II of Hessa Street Development (Government of Dubai Media Office 22/02/2026)

70% UAE companies turn to artificial intelligence to fight AI threats (Khaleej Times 22/02/2026)

UAE Cybersecurity Council announces systematic terrorist cyberattacks targeting vital sectors thwarted (WAM 21/02/2026)

Abu Dhabi real estate hits record AED142b in 2025 transactions (WAM 20/02/2026)

Caturus expands Gulf Coast gas platform with SM Galvan Ranch acquisition (WAM 20/02/2026)

DMCC Opens The Plaza at Uptown Dubai (Government of Dubai Media Office 20/02/2026)

Cyberattacks expected to surge in UAE during Ramadan as online shopping peaks (Khaleej Times 20/02/2026)

Scam alert for investors: How to spot unlicensed, fake firms in UAE (Khaleej Times 20/02/2026)

Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment hosts record 1,000+ events in 2025 (WAM 19/02/2026)

EHC Investment, Phoenix Technologies, AAA Enterprises to deliver computing solutions (WAM 19/02/2026)

UAE ranks third globally in AI adoption as usage surges to 56% (Khaleej Times 19/02/2026)

Dubai eVTOL: BegakFly EVO-ONE completes inaugural UAE flight (Arabian Business 19/02/2026)

Dubai’s healthcare ecosystem posts record growth in 2025 (WAM 18/02/2026)

Yas Clinic, ADSCC, Ohio University to advance cellular, gene therapy research (WAM 18/02/2026)

RTA reports 40% growth in Dubai’s commercial transport sector in 2025 (WAM 18/02/2026)

Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Jood to support entrepreneurs (WAM 18/02/2026)

NYU Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates University support brain research (WAM 18/02/2026)

Ramadan in UAE: How shoppers can file complaints against illegal price hikes (Khaleej Times 18/02/2026)

AD Ports Group plans the region’s largest agri-food hub in Abu Dhabi (Arabian Business 18/02/2026)

UAE flying taxi rollout spurs demand for luxury chauffeur services in Dubai (Arabian Business 18/02/2026)

Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Customs launch remote visual inspection project (WAM 17/02/2026)

ADRA’s consumer rights inspection campaigns expand (WAM 17/02/2026)

AD Ports Group, BUA Group, MAIR Group to explore collaboration in sugar refining, agro-industrial development, integrated global logistics solutions (WAM 17/02/2026)

Abu Dhabi Customs achieves significant growth in digital customs transactions in 2025 (WAM 17/02/2026)

UAE Space Agency announces extension of Emirates Mars Mission until 2028 (WAM 17/02/2026)

DEWA expanding EV Green Charger network (WAM 17/02/2026)

Abu Dhabi Judicial Department adopts facial recognition technology for notary transactions (WAM 17/02/2026)

Indian firms top new foreign companies joining Dubai Chamber of Commerce in 2025 (WAM 17/02/2026)

'EMSTEEL', Oldendorff Carriers sign AED600m five-year raw material freight agreement (WAM 17/02/2026)

Ma’an allocations for Abu Dhabi social development projects in 2025 reached AED220m+ (WAM 17/02/2026)

Dubai Holding and Nord Anglia Education to accelerate growth in Dubai’s education sector (Government of Dubai Media Office 17/02/2026)

Sharjah business licences jump 34% in 2025 as economic establishments reach 84,443 (Arabian Business 17/02/2026)

Etihad Rail, Hareket to boost industrial rail logistics (Arabian Business 17/02/2026)

UAE FINANCE AND ECONOMY NEWS

Trust and confidence in UAE banks reach pre-2008 financial crisis levels (Khaleej Times 23/02/2026)

UAE Central Bank issues new rules on AI use in finance (Khaleej Times 23/02/2026)

Launch of first-ever 7-year tranche Islamic Treasury Sukuk worth AED550m (WAM 22/02/2026)

Aldar issues US$1b hybrid notes to Apollo

UAE non-oil GDP grows 6.1% in first nine months of 2025 (WAM 20/02/2026)

CBUAE, UAE Internal Auditors Association to enhance financial supervision (WAM 19/02/2026)

Mashreq raises $500m in first UAE bank capital deal of 2026 (Khaleej Times 19/02/2026)

Top 5 firms account for 73% of UAE insurers’ AED3.7b profits last year (Khaleej Times 19/02/2026)

UAE’s stablecoin push shifts from pilots to point‑of‑sale as CBUAE rulebook takes hold (Khaleej Times 19/02/2026)

UAE authority warns of entity impersonating Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (Khaleej Times 19/02/2026)

Tokenising a nation: UAE turns real estate and bonds into programmable assets under unified rules (Khaleej Times 19/02/2026)

Strait of Hormuz risk premium returns amid growing US-Iran war fears (Khaleej Times 19/02/2026)

Modon Holding reports AED3.9b net profit for 2025 (WAM 18/02/2026)

EFG Hermes concludes advisory on $190m investment in Alameda Healthcare (Khaleej Times 18/02/2026)

ADX, Al Ramz Capital to boost investment literacy, strategic market skills (WAM 17/02/2026)

Cheaper premiums, strong demand power UAE insurance (Khaleej Times 17/02/2026)

Botim Money launches digital silver investing from AED10 (Khaleej Times 17/02/2026)

No more OTP in UAE: Authentication through banks’ apps to prevent social media scams (Khaleej Times 17/02/2026)

UAE in pole position as global wealth migration surges (Khaleej Times 16/02/2026)

UAE M&A NEWS

Dubai’s DAE Capital nears deal to acquire control of Macquarie AirFinance (Arabian Business 23/02/2026)

e&’s stake in UK’s Vodafone Group rises to 17% (Khaleej Times 22/02/2026)

Mubadala Energy completes acquisition from Eni of 15% interest in Egypt’s Nargis concession (WAM 19/02/2026)

AD Ports Group expands portfolio to 36 ports, terminals regionally, globally (WAM 17/02/2026)

Mubadala Bio acquires full ownership of Al Ittihad Drug Store, Global Medical Supply Chain (WAM 17/02/2026)

Takeover bid for Unikai fails after weak shareholder response (Khaleej Times 17/02/2026)

UAE BILATERAL TRADE NEWS

EDGE Group, Safran join forces to disrupt smart weapons market (WAM 23/02/2026)

DEWA discusses collaboration with First Public Hydrogen Authority, Electric Power Research Institute of America

Abu Dhabi Chamber, US Chamber of Commerce to expand bilateral partnerships (WAM 22/02/2026)

UAE became Oman's leading trading partner in non-oil exports, re-exports in 2025 (WAM 21/02/2026)

UAE President receives Hungarian Prime Minister’s Chief National Security Adviser (WAM 20/02/2026)

Emirati GSU supplies power to 28,000 households in Somaliland, launches 'Green Berbera' (WAM 20/02/2026)

UAE to deploy 8 exaflop supercomputer in India (WAM 20/02/2026)

FANR hosts Singapore delegation to share UAE nuclear regulatory experience (WAM 20/02/2026)

UAE-Namibia Business Forum discusses advancing bilateral economic engagement (WAM 19/02/2026)

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets President of Sri Lanka (WAM 19/02/2026)

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets President of Swiss Confederation (WAM 19/02/2026)

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets Prime Minister of India (WAM 19/02/2026)

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, French President discuss bilateral cooperation (WAM 19/02/2026)

DEWA discusses clean energy, water cooperation with India (WAM 19/02/2026)

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince attends AI Impact Summit in New Delhi (WAM 19/02/2026)

Abdullah bin Zayed, UK Foreign Secretary discuss relations (WAM 19/02/2026)

Abdullah bin Zayed, New Zealand FM discuss strengthening cooperation, partnership ties (WAM 19/02/2026)

UAE, Zambia explore expanding trade relations

UAE President receives US Senator Lindsey Graham (WAM 18/02/2026)

UAE, Estonia strengthen bilateral cooperation (WAM 17/02/2026)

Saud bin Saqr receives Consul-General of Saudi Arabia (WAM 17/02/2026)

UAE, Gabon discuss deepening economic cooperation (WAM 17/02/2026)

UAE, NATO discuss strengthening partnership (WAM 16/02/2026)

From capital to credibility: Why trust will shape UAE–Africa growth in 2026 (Khaleej Times 16/02/2026)

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Written by Jenny Hunt

Founder, Gateway Group, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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