United Arab Emirates - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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United Arab Emirates

April 29, 2026

Abu Dhabi 3:03 pm

39°C

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil.

United Arab Emirates

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

Latest News

UAE to leave OPEC on May 1

Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

UAE’s cash request tests US ties as Iran war strains Gulf financial muscle

A view of Dubai Marina in Dubai on March 3, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

IEA delivers grim gas supply forecast as oil notches 15% weekly rise

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is moored at a LNG berth in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, prefecture April 8, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

A man watches stock movements on a display at the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange in the Gulf emirate on April 12, 2022.

UAE reports slight growth of non-oil GDP

The United Arab Emirates is undergoing economic changes as it aims to reduce its dependency on oil.

United Arab Emirates

UAE finance

UAE tax authority announces whistleblower program

A major financial center in Dubai also recently launched a whistleblower mechanism as the Emirates seeks to improve financial transparency.

United Arab Emirates

Workers stand outside the Dubai International Financial Center in the Gulf emirate on Nov. 29, 2009.

Dubai regulator announces increased protection for whistleblowers

The UAE is working to increase its financial transparency after being linked to sanctions evasion and the flow of dark money.

United Arab Emirates

Parents wearing protective masks and their children arrive at a school entrance.

Culture

Abu Dhabi private schools returning to in-person classes

Remote education has led to difficulties for students throughout the world, including in Middle Eastern countries.

United Arab Emirates

A bus is pictured carrying workers back from a construction site on Sept. 14, 2016, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Dubai partnering with Singapore to improve public transportation

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also working to make their public transit systems more environmentally friendly, though oil is still a major part of the Emirati economy.

United Arab Emirates

A picture taken on Feb. 6, 2018, shows a visual representation of the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

Report: One third of Israelis and Emiratis own cryptocurrency

Both Israel and the UAE have emerged as centers of cryptocurrency in the Middle East.

Dubai drivers

Israel-UAE friendship continues with mutual recognition of driving licenses

The agreement has been in the works since shortly after the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020.

Dubai crypto

Bybit, Crypto.com head for Dubai as UAE pushes cryptocurrency

The Emirates wants to become a cryptocurrency hub for the region, but faces some competition from Israel.

United Arab Emirates

The Barakah nuclear plant, seen here in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi.

UAE expands nuclear power plant, doubles electricity production

The UAE is still reliant on oil and gas, though nuclear energy is rising in the country and across the region.

United Arab Emirates

Oil storage containers of the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC).

Israel, UAE to cooperate on clean hydroelectricity

Israeli companies are eager to cooperate with Emirati partners for the development of clean, cheap and low-energy hydrogen production.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan walks alongside UAE's Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan (R).

Emirati and Turkish businesspeople discuss bilateral trade, investment

The meeting between the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Turkey’s ULUSKON business federation occurred in the context of rapprochement between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

UAE Africa

UAE continues to grow influence in Africa with Zimbabwe trade

The Emirates has expanded its presence on the African continent in recent years via infrastructure investments, military bases and more.

United Arab Emirates