Omar Momany is a partner in Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla's and is the is head of the UAE Corporate/M&A practice and focuses his practice on public and private mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, corporate governance, joint ventures, commercial matters and corporate/shareholders' disputes in the UAE and throughout the region. Omar has over 15 years of experience in the Middle East and has acted for local and regional corporates and financial institutions, governments and regulatory bodies, multinationals, family businesses and royal houses. He is bilingual in Arabic and English.

UAE: A new Commercial Agencies Law that opens the door for early termination or expiry of commercial agencies on their terms

January 27, 2023 By Omar Momany, Hani Naja and Laya Aoun-Hani 6 Mins Read

In brief Following rounds of consultation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued the new and much anticipated Federal Law No. 3 of 2022 regulating Commercial Agencies (“New Law”), repealing and replacing the longstanding Federal Law No. 18 of 1981, which has been amended many times including most recently in May 2020. The New Law introduces various changes and grants for the first time, the right for international companies that are not owned by UAE…

First meeting of the Arab Competition Network – Objectives and Implications

March 28, 2022 By David Monnier, Abdulrahman AlAjlan, Mohamed Elfar, Omar Momany, Hani Naja and Marwan Othman 3 Mins Read

On 16 March 2022 in Cairo, Egypt, members of the Arab Competition Network (the “ACN”) held their first conference to launch this new network. This alert provides a high-level presentation of the ACN, as well as an overview of its mission and goals. Background and Goals of the ACN The ACN is a product of the efforts and collaboration of the Arab League and the Egyptian Competition Authority. The ACN aims to provide a platform…

UAE: New Commercial Companies Law: What You Need to Know

January 6, 2022 By Omar Momany, Abeer Jarrar, Rony Eid and Tala Shomar 7 Mins Read

In brief The UAE has introduced a number of new welcome legislative changes to mark the UAE’s 50th anniversary, with the aim of solidifying the country’s position as a global trade and commercial hub. Among these changes is the issuance of Federal Law by Decree No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies (“New Law”), which has now come into force last 2 January 2022. This alert serves as a reminder to all companies incorporated in…

UAE: A Major Change of Approach – Fundamental Amendments to the Commercial Companies Law

November 30, 2020 By Omar Momany, Hani Naja, Rony Eid and Tala Shomar 6 Mins Read

In brief Earlier last week, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), issued a decree introducing a number of fundamental changes to the UAE Commercial Companies Law (CCL Amendment) and to the UAE’s approach towards foreign direct investment (FDI) in general. The CCL Amendment adopted a new general rule of, in principle, allowing foreign investors to fully own certain types of companies in the mainland of the UAE. The…

UAE: New Cabinet Resolution requires companies to maintain beneficial ownership register

September 24, 2020 By Omar Momany, Hani Naja and Tala Shomar 4 Mins Read

In brief The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently issued Cabinet Resolution No. 58 of 2020 on the Regulation of the Procedures of the Real Beneficiary (the Resolution), which came into effect on 28 August 2020 and replaced Cabinet Resolution No. 34 of 2020 issued earlier this year. The Resolution aims to introduce the requirement for a beneficial ownership register in the UAE mainland and unify the minimum disclosure requirements for corporate entities incorporated in the…