Background As we previously reported, in September 2021, the joint venture between the Dubai International Financial Centre and the London Court of International Arbitration (DIFC-LCIA), and the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre were abolished, and all respective assets, liabilities, rights, and obligations of these institutions were transferred to the newly established Dubai International Arbitration Center (DIAC) by way of Decree No. 34 of 2021 (“Decree”) (view our previous alert here). As such the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Center and…
In brief Over the last few months, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have made a few legislative changes in relation to the Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) regulations as well as the associated administrative penalties, with the issuance of: Under the previous Cabinet resolution, the main challenge that corporate entities and the authorities faced was in relation to identifying the UBO in entities that adopt complex structures and have multiple layers of ownership or that are…
In brief During 2023 we saw various changes to the UAE employment and labour law landscape continue apace, supporting the government’s objective of attracting and retaining business and talent in the country. These include the new alternative end-of-service benefits scheme, unemployment insurance scheme, changes to Emiratisation and more. In this article we set out a brief summary of the key developments that have taken place in 2023 and take a look ahead to 2024. In…
In brief On 28 September 2023, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued Federal Law No. 36 of 2023 (the “New Competition Law”), which has repealed and replaced Federal Law No. 4 of 2012. The New Competition Law signals a new era of enforcement by the UAE Ministry of Economy by providing a functional competition regime through, inter alia: extending a wider scope of application to almost all economic activities; expanding its mandate by prohibiting…
On 2 October 2023, the UAE issued Federal Law No. 54 of 2023, which amended Federal Law No. 14 of 2018 on the Central Bank and the Organization of Financial Institutions and Financial Activities (the “Central Bank Law”) and changed the definition of currency to include a “National Digital Currency”. The amendment to the Central Bank Law was published in the Official Gazette on 31 October 2023. Article 57.4 of the Central Bank Law has…