meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Taking Abu Dhabi’s success global

28 October 2022

This article captures key highlights from the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Roundtable jointly held by MEED and Mashreq on 28 September. At the event, participants including government, business and financial stakeholders discussed the trends that are shaping the future of the emirate’s real estate sector.

Abu Dhabi’s real estate market is enjoying robust growth on the back of factors such as AA credit ratings, business conduciveness and the successful handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Its stakeholders are certain that the industry can do even better, however. 

In the first half of 2022, the emirate recorded 7,474 property transactions amounting to more than AED22.5bn ($6.1bn), according to official figures from the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities & Transport (DMT).

As the industry regulator, DMT is charged with taking the emirate’s real estate landscape to new heights by “constantly revising and assessing policies” based on global standards.

“The trick is to be fast and apply rules that support the real estate sector before others do. At the same time, we cannot just revamp systems or laws without keeping an eye on what is happening globally,” Adeeb al-Afeefi, executive director of the real estate sector at DMT, told senior executives gathered at the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Roundtable, which was hosted by MEED and Mashreq on 28 September. 

DMT governs the real estate sector in Abu Dhabi, ensuring a balance between supply and demand and providing services to local and international investors.

“The world today is a global village, and you cannot compete unless you are aware of what has been applied internationally, and the level of services you are expected to provide as government entities,” Al-Afeefi said.

“We are working to promote Abu Dhabi’s real estate market on a global level and the incredible investment opportunities it has to offer.”

Promoting success

Other representatives of the Abu Dhabi real estate industry who attended the event agreed with Al-Afeefi.

“We have all the ingredients for foreign investment – from attractive destinations to green and sustainably rated mixed-use communities. What is now required is to promote all this and educate those outside on how to turn a meaningful profit here,” said Ali Mohamed Amin Fikree, senior vice-president for UAE real estate at sovereign investor Mubadala Investment Company.

A senior representative from a real estate development company added: “There is no denying that real estate in Abu Dhabi is booming, particularly for off-plan and certain communities. The key is keeping that going and consistently being competitive against our neighbours.”

We are working to promote Abu Dhabi’s real estate market on a global level and the incredible investment opportunities it has to offer

Adeeb al-Afeefi, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities & Transport

In recent years, Abu Dhabi’s stable economic environment has drawn the attention of both individual and institutional investors.

According to data from DMT, Yas Island recorded AED1.8bn-worth of property transactions in the first half of 2022. This was followed by Saadiyat Island with AED1.2bn and Al-Shamkha with AED1bn. Reem Island recorded property transactions worth AED872m, and Khalifa City and Al-Raha Beach secured transactions worth AED310m and AED300m, respectively. 

Yet there is still a need to “promote Abu Dhabi’s success stories”, said Mubadala’s Fikree.

Al-Maryah Island, Mubadala’s flagship real estate mixed-use development, saw unit sales and large-scale transactional deals totalling AED5bn in the first nine months of 2022.

“Unit sales on developments that align to industry and sustainability standards continue to show success. But there is room for improvement with large-scale institutional transactions,” Fikree said. 

“Any sophisticated real estate investor looking to purchase plots for ‘build to hold’ opportunities needs assurance

that they can sell the final product once it has achieved its full value potential.

“This is why we need to promote examples of where we have been successful, just as we have done recently on the sale of the four office towers in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) on Al-Maryah Island. This instils market confidence and paves the way for global capital and investment.”

In February, US-based Apollo Global Management announced a $1.4bn investment in Aldar Properties, followed by the acquisition of an 11.1 per cent minority stake in subsidiary Aldar Investment Properties. In the following months, Aldar Properties acquired four Grade A commercial towers in Al-Maryah Island’s ADGM. The deal, valued at AED4.3bn, represented one of the most significant real estate transactions in the UAE.

In 2021, Abu Dhabi was recognised as one of the “top global improvers” by JLL International’s Global Real Estate Transparency Index. Since 2020, the emirate has risen in the ranking from 48 to 45 overall thanks to the government’s effort to enhance corporate and real estate sustainability through initiatives such as regulatory changes, digitalisation of services and access to data.

Abu Dhabi was also ranked as the most liveable city in the Middle East in 2021 by the Global Liveability Index, moving seven places up in the global quality of life ranking.

In January 2022, it was ranked as the safest city in the world in which to live, work and invest for the sixth consecutive year by the crowd-sourced Numbeo Safety Index.

Supporting framework

While Al-Afeefi does not deny the impact of global and regional issues facing the local market, he noted that what will set Abu Dhabi apart going forwards is the way in which it deals with challenges. 

In recent years, DMT has undertaken strategic policy and regulatory changes to enable investments from across the globe. For example, together with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, it has established a Real Estate Dispute Settlement Centre to help facilitate amicable agreements outside of courts. 

The emirate has also established an educational centre that specialises in training brokers, surveyors and other real estate professionals. 

“A very important change that we are currently undertaking is the revision to the real estate regulation that was introduced in 2019, which is now under review by the executive council,” Al-Afeefi added. 

“Typically, policy revisions can take up to a decade – here we decided to move quickly because of factors we’ve seen locally and globally, and this new update will give us greater authority to manoeuvre changing conditions and to provide better operating conditions for investors and developers.”

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10123359/main.gif
Mehak Srivastava

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Local firm submits $515m lowest bid for Kuwait water project

    28 July 2026

    Kuwait’s Combined Group Contracting has announced it has submitted the lowest bid for a contract to develop a major treated water system in the country’s southern region.

    The contractor submitted a price of KD159.96m ($515m) for the scheme, according to a company disclosure dated 27 July.

    The project covers the development, construction, completion, operation and maintenance of a treated water system in southern Kuwait.

    Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works (MPW) is the client for the project. MPW issued the tender on 22 March and bids were submitted on 26 July.

    The scope includes infrastructure to collect and transmit treated sewage effluent in southern Kuwait. This covers pipelines, pumping stations, storage reservoirs and distribution infrastructure, as well as associated mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and control systems.

    The scheme is intended to support Kuwait’s food security system. The contract has a duration of 1,825 days, equivalent to about five years. Combined Group said it has not yet received an official notice of award.

    MPW issued a similar tender in March covering the construction of a treated water system in northern Kuwait. Bids for this tender were also submitted on 26 July.

    Separately, Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has extended the bid submission deadlines for two tenders covering power transmission works at the South Saad Al-Abdullah residential development, as exclusively reported by MEED.

    The first tender covers the supply, installation and maintenance of 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the third phase of the development. 

    The second tender covers the supply, installation and maintenance of 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the fourth phase of the project. 

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17794219/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Masdar signs renewables deals in Montenegro

    28 July 2026

    Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and Montenegro’s state power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) have signed agreements to advance renewable energy projects in Montenegro.

    The agreements cover the joint development of two solar projects with a combined capacity of 150MW.

    The companies have also signed a framework agreement to explore the development of more than 400MW of pumped hydro energy storage projects.

    The projects will be the first to be progressed through a 50:50 joint venture planned by Masdar and EPCG.

    The two companies signed a joint venture agreement in April as part of a wider 2GW renewable energy partnership in Montenegro.

    The latest agreements were signed in the presence of Sultan Al-Jaber, UAE minister of industry and advanced technology and chairman of Masdar, and Admir Sahmanovic, Montenegro’s minister of energy and mining.

    Masdar has an existing presence in Montenegro through its investment in the 72MW Krnovo wind farm.

    European expansion

    The developer has been accelerating foreign investment plans in 2026. As part of its European expansion plans, it signed an agreement with Spanish energy firm Repsol in June to acquire a 49.99% stake in a local renewable energy portfolio.

    The deal valued the portfolio at €849m ($982m).

    The portfolio comprises 705MW of operational capacity, including 13 wind farms with a combined capacity of 402MW and six solar photovoltaic solar parks with a total capacity of 303MW.

    All the assets entered operation in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. The portfolio also includes a pipeline of future wind, solar and battery storage projects with a combined capacity of more than 565MW.

    Growth in Asia

    In April, Masdar signed a binding agreement with France’s TotalEnergies to establish a $2.2bn joint venture to develop, build and operate renewable energy projects across Asia.

    The combined business will have 3GW of operational capacity and 6GW of projects in advanced development, targeted for commissioning by 2030.

    In June, Masdar broke ground on a 1GW wind farm in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region, marking the company’s first renewable energy project in the country. 

    The $1.4bn development is one of the largest integrated wind and battery energy storage projects in Central Asia. It will combine a 1GW wind farm with a 600 MWh battery energy storage system.

    Masdar is targeting a global renewable energy portfolio of 100GW by 2030. It recently reached 65GW, two-thirds of the way to that target.

    The company plans to deploy an additional $30bn-$35bn in equity and project finance by 2030, adding an average of 10GW of new capacity each year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17792896/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Geopolitics tests Dubai property with hotels hardest hit

    28 July 2026

    Dubai’s residential market cooled sharply in the second quarter of 2026, and the hospitality sector recorded its steepest downturn in years, according to US-based real estate research firm CBRE’s latest UAE market review. Office and industrial real estate, however, continued to defy a weaker macroeconomic backdrop, the report said.

    The figures, published on 28 July, mark a turning point for a residential sector that has driven much of Dubai’s post-pandemic growth story.

    Transaction volumes fell 29% year-on-year to just under 37,000 sales in the second quarter, down from more than 51,000 in the same period last year.

    Total transaction values dropped even further, to AED88bn ($24bn) from close to AED154bn ($42bn) in the second quarter of 2025.

    Rents have moved into negative territory faster than prices. While sales values were still up 1.9% year-on-year, average residential rents fell 2.6% annually and 6.2% quarter-on-quarter.

    About 18,000 new units were completed in the first half of the year, adding to supply just as demand and transaction activity were softening.

    The contrast with Abu Dhabi is stark. The capital’s residential values rose 21.6% year-on-year, powered by 24.4% growth in apartment prices, while rents climbed a further 3.6%.

    Sales values reached AED32bn ($8.7bn), up 150% on the same quarter last year, with transaction volumes up around 80%.

    Off-plan sales accounted for roughly 83% of deals and 85% of value, underscoring investor appetite for new launches even as Dubai’s own off-plan pipeline slows.

    Hospitality bears the brunt

    The hospitality sector recorded the most pronounced downturn of any asset class tracked in the review. Regional geopolitical disruption weighed heavily on international travel demand and airline operations through the first half of the year, with UAE-wide hotel occupancy down 27.7 percentage points year-on-year to June and revenue per available room (RevPAR) down 31.8%, according to CoStar data cited in the report.

    Dubai absorbed the sharpest declines, reflecting its greater reliance on international visitor flows, while Abu Dhabi held up comparatively better on the strength of domestic demand and events-led tourism.

    Operators have responded with staycation packages, domestic tourism campaigns and refurbishment programmes aimed at protecting market positioning ahead of an anticipated recovery in international arrivals.

    Office and industrial hold strong

    Away from housing and hotels, the picture is markedly different. Dubai office rents rose 13% year-on-year, with prime rents up 16% and occupancy at about 94%, as demand concentrated in DIFC, Tecom and DMCC continues to outpace the delivery of new Grade A stock.

    Abu Dhabi’s office market performed even more strongly, with rents up nearly 16% and occupancy at 96%, driven by ADGM-based financial services firms including hedge funds.

    With less than 300,000 square metres (sq m) of new office space due between 2026 and 2027, both emirates face a supply squeeze that is likely to sustain rental growth into next year.

    Retail occupancy remained resilient at about 98% in Dubai and 95% in Abu Dhabi despite softer tourism flows and shifting consumer spending, with Dubai rents up around 3% year-on-year.

    A new wave of retail supply is in the pipeline, led by Al-Khail Avenue in Dubai and the first phase of Saadiyat Grove in Abu Dhabi.

    Industrial and logistics stand out

    Underpinned by government-led localisation programmes, the UAE industrial exports reached AED262bn ($71bn) in 2025, with Operation300bn and Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) continuing to draw manufacturing and logistics investment.

    Abu Dhabi secured AED48.5bn ($13.2bn) in commitments through MIITE alongside new logistics agreements at Kezad. At the same time, Dubai recorded strong rental growth across Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Investments Park and National Industries Park.

    CBRE now forecasts a marginal UAE GDP contraction of 0.04% for 2026, reflecting disruption to trade, tourism and aviation, though it expects a strong rebound in 2027 as regional conditions normalise.

    READ THE JULY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17792437/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Kuwait extends deadlines for power infrastructure packages

    28 July 2026

    Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has extended the bid submission deadline for two tenders covering power transmission works at the South Saad Al-Abdullah residential development.

    The first tender covers the supply, installation and maintenance of 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the third phase of the development. 

    The bid deadline has been extended to 19 August. The original deadline was 5 August.

    The second tender covers the supply, installation and maintenance of 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the fourth phase of the project. 

    The bid deadline for this project has also been moved to 19 August.

    Both projects were initially tendered in May. As reported by MEED, PAHW previously issued addendums for both substation tenders, revising the qualification requirements for bidders.

    According to the revised requirements, contractors must be approved by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy and have experience supplying and installing at least 10 132kV substations in Kuwait.

    The addendums also introduced requirements related to transformer and gas-insulated switchgear manufacturing approvals, as well as operational performance records for installed equipment

    Sabah Al-Ahmad residential city

    Meanwhile, bids were submitted on 16 July for two 132kV underground cable tenders for the South Sabah Al-Ahmad residential development.

    PAHW had tendered the contracts in May.

    The first cable tender covers the supply, extension and maintenance of 132kV underground cables feeding eight main transformer substations serving the N1, N6 and N11 districts in the project’s fourth phase. 

    According to sources, Egytech Cables, a subsidiary of Egypt’s Elsewedy Electric, was the lowest bidder with an offer of $42.37m.

    The other bidders include:

    • TBEA Shandong Luneng Taishan Cable (China, $44.06m)
    • Riyadh Cables (Saudi Arabia, $44.57m)
    • The Contractor General Trading & Contracting (Kuwait, $46.26)

    The second cable tender covers the supply, extension and maintenance of 132kV underground cables linked to substations serving the N5, N6, N8 and N10 districts in the project’s third phase. 

    Egytech Cables submitted the lowest offer of $39.95m. TBEA Shandong Luneng Taishan Cable submitted a bid of $41.89m along with Riyadh Cables ($42.05m) and The Contractor General Trading & Contracting ($44.97m).

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17786669/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Ashghal tenders northern Smaisma infrastructure consultancy

    28 July 2026

     

    Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has issued a tender for consultancy services related to infrastructure development in the northern Smaisma area.

    The tender was issued on 19 July, with a bid submission deadline of 8 September.

    The scope covers construction supervision consultancy services for package seven (A and B).

    According to local media reports, the scope of package seven A includes the airstrip road, the coastal road and connections to the existing Al-Khor Expressway, spanning an area of about 18.5 kilometres.

    Ashghal floated the main contract tender for this package in March, as MEED reported.

    The contract duration is four years from the start of construction.

    Package seven B includes foul sewer infrastructure, drainage networks and road development works spanning more than 1.3km.

    The latest tender follows Ashghal’s announcement of contract awards for 12 new projects, with a total value exceeding QR4.5bn ($1.2bn).

    According to a notice published on its website, these include six building projects, most notably the redevelopment of Hamad General Hospital, with a contract value of about QR1.1bn ($301m).

    Other projects awarded include the construction of a post office building in Al-Thumama; renovation works at the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club and the Qatar Equestrian Federation; and the implementation of Phase 4 of the Al-Uqda Equestrian Complex development.

    In the roads and infrastructure sector, four projects have been awarded, led by packages one and two of the road and infrastructure development works in Izghawa and Al-Thumaid.

    The awards also include a landscaping project and an air-conditioned walkway at Qatar University, as part of broader public-facilities improvement initiatives.

    UK analytics firm GlobalData forecasts that Qatar’s construction industry will expand by 4.3% in 2026, supported by investments in renewable energy and transportation infrastructure.

    Meanwhile, the Planning & Statistics Authority reports that Qatar’s construction value-added grew by 6.6% year on year in the first half of 2025.

    GlobalData also expects the industry to grow at an average annual rate of 4.6% in 2027-29, supported by investment in construction, energy and infrastructure projects.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17791590/main.gif
    Yasir Iqbal