Abu Dhabi

Dhareeba Now Requires Contract and PO Declarations Qatar’s General Tax Authority (GTA) has quietly implemented a significant change to the Withholding Tax (WHT) filing process through the Dhareeba tax portal, one that is already affecting taxpayers despite the absence of any formal announcement, public circular, or update on any GTA communication channel. Read more

Saudi Arabia’s ambition to attract high-calibre global investors has accelerated significantly over the past year, nowhere more clearly than in the Kingdom’s Premium Residency Programme (PRP). Although the programme was originally launched in 2019, momentum has increased sharply across 2024 and 2025 as Saudi Arabia positions itself as the region’s most commercially dynamic emerging market. Read more

At Sovereign PPG, we are seeing clear evidence that Abu Dhabi’s rise as a global financial and business hub is not just a narrative but a measurable trend. In Abu Dhabi, enquiries from the emirate rose by roughly 36% percent, while those originating from ADGM surged by about 72% percent in 2025, as compared to 2024, highlighting a clear shift in business interest toward the capital. Read more

The United Arab Emirates has rapidly established itself as one of the most advanced jurisdictions in the Middle East for intellectual property (IP) protection. The UAE imposes severe penalties for violations, including fines, confiscation of counterfeit goods, and criminal sanctions. However, these protections are available only to rights that are properly registered with the Ministry of Economy. Unregistered marks, even if well known, have no formal legal standing. Read more

In Abu Dhabi, and across the UAE and GCC, a trade license is more than a piece of paper, it’s the legal record of what your business does and who runs it. If something changes in your company and the license doesn’t match, it can cause issues with banks, contracts, or future renewals and approval processes. Read more

Artificial Intelligence is no longer an idea on the horizon. It is already changing how organisations in the GCC attract and hire talent. In the UAE’s financial sector, predictive tools are helping recruiters manage large applicant pools. In Saudi Arabia’s tech industry, AI-driven mapping is helping firms identify future skill needs. Read more

Off the back of GITEX earlier this October, we noticed a clear trend. Many of the fintech firms we spoke with who were exhibiting in the UAE are also setting up operations or exploring opportunities in Saudi Arabia. Read more

The UAE’s insurance industry is entering a new era of expansion and maturity. Recent figures show that gross written premiums grew by 14.5 percent in the first half of 2025, reaching AED 40.9 billion, or about 11.1 billion US dollars. Property and liability insurance rose by 17.8 percent, health insurance by 12.7 percent, and life and savings products by 11.2 percent. Read more

Saudi Arabia’s global sports footprint continues to grow with the recent announcement that the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has signed on as an official partner of the FIFA Club World Cup 2026, the tournament’s first expanded edition featuring 32 clubs. The deal deepens Saudi influence in global football and ties in with the Kingdom’s broader efforts to align its investment with international visibility ahead of its bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Read more

Bahrain has been reshaping its business environment in recent years, moving in step with wider Gulf reforms aimed at opening markets and drawing long-term investment. Changes to company ownership rules, a broader e-visa system and new residency categories are part of that push. For investors, this means the entry process is far more flexible than it once was, with options that cover short trips for meetings through to permanent residence linked to investment. This article explains the main visa categories, what they require, how much they cost and how long approvals usually take. Read more