The FTA launched the new initiative on June 9, 2026. It applies to every VAT refund claim submitted on or after January 1, 2026, so it is backdated, not just forward-looking.

In short, more of what you spend building a home now comes back to you. The FTA expects the change to return around AED 200 million in extra VAT savings to UAE nationals.

Here are the key numbers:

This recognition is not an ordinary decision and that is because of how Swiss financial Institutions behave. 

FINMA supervises all Swiss banks, insurance companies, securities firms, and financial market infrastructures. It does not grant recognition casually. Without this recognition, Swiss institutions wanting to access a foreign exchange had to route trades through intermediaries. This rerouting adds cost, friction, and compliance headaches at every step.

Now, with DFM recognised, that barrier is gone.

But here’s what most coverage is missing: this recognition actually covers two legally separate dimensions, each governed by its own article under Switzerland’s Financial Market Infrastructure Act (FinMIA).

Article 41 FinMIA – Direct Market Access. Swiss financial institutions supervised by FINMA can now directly access DFM’s trading venue. 

Article 41a FinMIA – Equity Securities Eligibility. Equity securities of companies incorporated in Switzerland are now eligible to be traded on DFM. Swiss-headquartered firms can now have their shares traded in Dubai, putting them in front of DFM’s 1.2 million-strong investor base.

These two dimensions are legally independent of each other. Both were applied for separately. Both were granted.

On 3 June 2026, DMCC and the DIFC Courts signed an expanded Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The practical result: DMCC’s 26,000-plus member companies now get direct access to the DIFC Courts’ full range of commercial and personal legal services, all under one agreement.

Some context on the two names. DMCC is the free zone behind a large share of the trade moving through Dubai. The DIFC Courts is the UAE’s leading English-language common law jurisdiction. And they are not new acquaintances — the two have worked together for more than ten years, with this deal carrying the relationship into its second decade.

What’s actually changed is the reach, not the relationship itself. The earlier link was real but loose. This MoU makes that access structured and bakes it into how DMCC operates, so members can use the courts’ services as a normal part of doing business rather than a special arrangement.

For anyone unfamiliar with the DIFC Courts, here’s the gist. 

It’s an independent common law court that runs in English from inside the Dubai International Financial Centre. Established in 2004, it’s recognised well beyond the UAE, and its judges are drawn from major common law jurisdictions. The judgments it hands down can be enforced both at home and abroad — the detail that counts most for companies trading across borders.

On June 3, 2026, WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) , formally Willis Towers Watson, announced that it had received DFSA approval to operate as WTW Investments (DIFC) Limited within the Dubai International Financial Centre. The DFSA is the independent regulator of all financial services firms operating within the DIFC. Getting its approval is not a formality. 

It is a serious, multi-stage regulatory review of the firm’s governance, capital adequacy, compliance framework, and business model.

The licence WTW received is a Category 4 licence under the DFSA framework, the category that covers investment advisory and arranging deals in investments. In plain terms: the firm can now proactively advise clients, structure recommendations, and arrange access to fund solutions, all from a locally regulated entity in Dubai.

Before this licence, WTW could only engage with existing clients in a reactive, limited capacity from the region. That constraint is now gone.

This quarter, ADGM reached 13,353 active licences, adding 961 new ones since the start of 2026. Assets Under Management jumped 57%, showing that investors are increasingly confident in the hub.

The centre now hosts 179 asset and fund managers, a notable 24% rise from last year. The number of funds managed climbed to 263, up 43%, while financial services entities reached 365, reflecting steady growth across the sector.

On the human side, 47,047 professionals are now part of the workforce, a 44% increase supporting the expanding operations. Meanwhile, 29 new Financial Services Permissions were granted, a 45% jump, highlighting faster regulatory approvals.

ADGM is the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi and operates under a legal framework based on the direct application of English Common Law. Its jurisdiction covers Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island, and it hosts a wide range of legal structures, including companies, partnerships, foundations, trusts and professional services vehicles.

The term Legal Persons and Arrangements, or LPAs, refers to the legal structures available within ADGM. These include public and private companies, restricted scope companies, partnerships, branches, foundations, distributed ledger technology foundations and trusts. ADGM has stated that its legal framework encompasses 17 distinct legal persons and arrangement types, each with different features and different potential exposure to misuse.

The 2026 update revises the first ADGM LPA assessment issued in March 2024. The change is quite detailed in nature. 

ADGM has moved from a four-point to a five-point risk scale: Low, Medium-Low, Medium, Medium-High and High. This gives the Registration Authority more precision in distinguishing between structures that may previously have appeared similar on paper but carry different practical risks. ADGM has also made clear that some movements in risk ratings should be read as improved analytical granularity rather than evidence of a worsening risk environment.

The timing matters. UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 has modernised the country’s AML/CFT and proliferation financing framework, with express references to virtual assets, digital systems, supervisory authorities, DNFBPs and VASPs. The law also reinforces the role of national risk assessment, supervision and coordination across competent authorities.

This gives the ADGM update a wider significance. It is not just an ADGM registry exercise. It is part of the UAE’s broader move from “having controls” to proving that those controls work in practice.

It is the Dubai Financial Services Authority – the regulatory body that oversees all financial activities within DIFC. This includes everything from banking and insurance to Sukuk (Islamic bonds) and crowdfunding. Essentially, if you’re doing finance in DIFC, you’re under their watchful eye.

Here’s the key point: The DFSA doesn’t tell you whether a financial product is Shari’a-compliant – that’s not their job. What they do is make sure that firms operating within the DIFC have robust systems to ensure that their business activities adhere to Shari’a principles. They want to make sure that firms have the proper governance and controls in place to manage Islamic finance risks, rather than judging the products themselves.

Well, it means that the DFSA is focused on how you manage compliance, not on determining whether your products are halal. It’s about ensuring firms operate in line with Islamic finance rules, with clear frameworks to avoid any missteps.

ADGM was established under Abu Dhabi Law No. 4 of 2013. It operates under a common law framework. Within that system, the Registration Authority is a core gatekeeper for non-financial entities. It oversees incorporation, registration, licensing, and related compliance matters inside the jurisdiction.

That role matters even more today because ADGM is operating at a much larger scale than before. In March 2026, ADGM said active licences had reached 12,671 by the end of 2025. That growth changes the compliance picture. As a jurisdiction expands, the pressure to remove ambiguity and strengthen supervision also increases.

The timing is also important. The UAE is now in a more mature AML/CFT phase. FATF removed the UAE from increased monitoring in February 2024. FATF’s assessment calendar now shows a possible onsite period for the UAE in June 2026. At the same time, the UAE has updated its federal AML framework through Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 and its Executive Regulations. ADGM’s latest amendments sit within that wider push for stronger and more visible compliance.

The Central Bank of the UAE has released its 2025 Emiratisation results. The outcome is not incremental. It is decisive.

The banking, financial, and insurance sectors have collectively achieved 160% of their annual Emiratisation target. More importantly, the cumulative hiring target set for the entire 2022–2027 period has already been exceeded a full two years ahead of schedule.

It is a clear signal of policy acceleration.

Emiratisation in the financial sector is moving from target-setting to target enforcement. From workforce expansion to workforce composition. From compliance as a requirement to compliance as a measurable operating standard.

For institutions operating in the UAE, the implications are immediate. The baseline has shifted. Expectations have increased. And the margin for reactive compliance is narrowing. The question is no longer whether your organisation meets current thresholds.

It is whether your workforce strategy is aligned with where regulation is heading next.

By now, e-invoicing is likely on your radar, but the upcoming changes are more than just a digital upgrade. 

The UAE is officially moving to the eInvoicing 4-Corner Model, a system that fundamentally changes how businesses interact. Starting in April 2026, secure invoice exchange via a network of trusted providers will become the mandatory standard.