United Arab Emirates updates
Arbitration & ADR
ADGM Arbitration Centre and ICC MENA representative office established
- United Arab Emirates
- 28 September 2017
The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has announced the establishment of the ADGM Arbitration Centre, which will include the Middle East and North Africa representative office of the International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration. The centre is forecast to be fully operational by January 2018. This marks an important development for arbitration in the region and provides users of arbitration in the Middle East with greater choice.
Judicial Committee renders first decisions under Decree 19
- United Arab Emirates
- 18 May 2017
Decree 19/2016 established a judicial committee tasked with resolving conflicts of jurisdiction between the Dubai courts and the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) courts. Just over six months after the issuance of Decree 19/2016, the committee rendered its first decisions, which have made it clear that an arbitral award rendered onshore in Dubai cannot be enforced in the DIFC courts where proceedings in respect of the same award have been commenced before the Dubai courts.
Company & Commercial
Ministry of Economy issues waiver for amendments to LLCs' memoranda of association
- United Arab Emirates
- 01 May 2017
The Ministry of Economy recently issued Ministerial Resolution 694/2016, which waives the requirement for limited liability companies, joint liability companies and limited partnerships to amend their memoranda of association, as per the new Companies Law. That said, it is advisable for exempt companies to amend their memoranda of association in due course for ease of reference.
Deciphering due diligence
- United Arab Emirates
- 17 April 2017
Clients often ask how to conduct legal due diligence or background checks on another party in the United Arab Emirates. Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer. With no centralised company register, and over 40 different free zones, obtaining basic information about UAE free zone companies may pose a daunting challenge. Even so, there are still effective tools available to uncover the necessary information.
Competition & Antitrust
Merger control in United Arab Emirates
- United Arab Emirates
- 13 April 2017
The competition law regime established by Federal Law 4/2012 and Resolution 37/2014 has been criticised – in particular, for being ambiguous in relation to merger control, making the law unenforceable in practice. Most notably, the regime lacked defined thresholds for the application of merger control provisions. These issues were recently addressed through two cabinet resolutions. However, considerable ambiguity remains in the interpretation and application of the UAE competition law regime.
Corporate Finance/M&A
M&A transactions in the United Arab Emirates: an overview
- United Arab Emirates
- 23 August 2017
As a result of the economy experiencing an upswing over the past year, there was an increase in transactions and deal values in the first half of 2017. Further, because the United Arab Emirates put its plans to diversify its economy away from a dependency on oil into action, M&A activity outside the oil sector has been bolstered. In particular, there has been growth in the healthcare, education and retail sectors.
Employment & Benefits
Contributed by Pinsent MasonsAbu Dhabi launches fast-track labour disputes court
- United Arab Emirates
- 06 February 2019
In collaboration with the courts, the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation recently launched a summary court to complement the One Day Labour Court. The new court is designed to speed up the process of litigating labour-related matters, including issues relating to the return of a passport or an emirates ID card, health insurance, accommodation and the cancellation of work visas. However, this fast-track system is designed to consider straightforward disputes only.
VAT and employee benefits
- United Arab Emirates
- 30 January 2019
Non-cash employee benefits can create a value added tax (VAT) headache for businesses. Even fully taxable businesses in the United Arab Emirates may find that VAT recovery is blocked for certain activities. Further, even if input VAT is recoverable on the cost of the benefit, providing it to employees may trigger an obligation to account for VAT on the deemed supply of the benefit to the employee. For many benefits, the VAT treatment will vary depending on the circumstances.
DIFC authority proposes sweeping changes to Employment Law
- United Arab Emirates
- 21 November 2018
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has been reviewing and undertaking consultation on an entirely new Employment Law throughout most of 2018. The proposed amendments are likely to have a significant impact on key elements of the existing Employment Law and on employment relationships within the DIFC in general.
Rise of the gig economy
- United Arab Emirates
- 08 August 2018
The gig economy is developing and expanding worldwide and has already had an impact on the UAE regulatory framework. Moreover, it is likely to become more central to the landscape of employee and workforce relationships within the next five to 10 years. It is certainly an area that in-house legal teams, HR professionals and senior managers should pay close attention to in the short to medium term.
Part-time working introduced – more than just a nice idea
- United Arab Emirates
- 09 May 2018
Part-time and flexible working arrangements are a fundamental part of workforces in western jurisdictions and serve as a significant incentive that employers can use to recruit and retain their talented employees. While these arrangements are not currently offered by many employers in the United Arab Emirates, this may be about to change in light of a significant statutory development. This development is a win-win for all parties, and businesses should consider creating roles for part-time employees.
