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

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United Arab Emirates

April 16, 2026

Abu Dhabi 4:10 am

24°C

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility

The kingdom's stock market climbed to its highest level of the year on Wednesday, with the kingdom’s equities now far outperforming the S&P 500 and other global and regional indices.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

UAE's deputy PM holds first call with Ghalibaf amid push to extend US-Iran ceasefire

The Emirati vice president and Iran’s parliament speaker talked de-escalation on the phone in the first such contact since the Iran war began.

United Arab Emirates

A man walks through the atrium during the 2026 IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

IMF slashes Mideast outlook by nearly 3 points as Iran war hits economies

The International Monetary Fund cut gross domestic product forecasts for the Middle East and North Africa, with the fallout from the conflict exposing stark divergences between the region’s energy exporters and importers.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing on April 13, 2026.

China signals bigger Gulf role as UAE crown prince visits Beijing

China, which maintains close ties with both Iran and Gulf states, is hosting one of the UAE's top officials this week as a fragile ceasefire in the region holds.

Latest News

Oil back above $100 as US moves to blockade Strait of Hormuz

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

UAE says no more 'niceties' with Iran, seeks clarity on fragile truce terms

TOPSHOT - People watch from a street as a tall smoke plume billows following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran's strikes on Gulf neighbours since February 28, following the US-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travellers who thought they were headed to one of the region's safest holiday destinations. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

Iran hits Gulf, threatens truce as Israel escalates in Lebanon: What to know

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire following an Israeli strike at the Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood of Beirut on 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

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

UAE-Israel trade already tops last year

The increase in bilateral trade follows the signing of a trade agreement.

Abu Dhabi

Emirati AI firm G42 launches $10 billion investment fund

The UAE is seeking to become a leader in artificial intelligence, and has also successfully attracted some fintech firms.

United Arab Emirates

Press conference after meeting in the western Cypriot city of Paphos, on April 16, 2021.

Emirates launches codeshare deal with Aegean as UAE-Greece ties continue to strengthen

The United Arab Emirates and Greece have signed a variety of political, defense and economic agreements in recent years.

United Arab Emirates

This picture taken on May 9, 2021 shows a view of the Dubai city skyline as seen from the Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest building at 828 metres. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Gulf states changing labor, visa and residency policies to attract foreign wealth, talent

Robert Mogielnicki

Robert Mogielnicki

UAE Masdar

UAE’s Masdar to work on solar and wind power projects in Tanzania

The UAE is diversifying its economy and seeking closer relations with several sub-Saharan African states.

Central bank

UAE laws clamp down on money laundering, terrorism financing

The Emirates recently sanctioned some financial institutions in the country.

United Arab Emirates

stock exchange

Foreign investment grows in Abu Dhabi stock exchange

The UAE has invested in several regional states this year.

United Arab Emirates

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

More gas discovered off coast of Abu Dhabi

The field, which is operated by Italy’s Eni, has yielded considerable natural gas to the UAE this year.

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency exchange receives approval to operate in Dubai

FTX is among several cryptocurrency firms that have announced moves to the UAE, which instituted a regulatory mechanism for virtual assets earlier this year.

Total Energies

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to increase footprint in Egypt

The oil firm’s move to buy half of TotalEnergies' stake in the country is the latest example of Emirati investment in Egypt.

Dubai skyline

UAE Central Bank announces more sanctions

The Emirates is seeking to improve its record on financial transparency after being implicated in money laundering and sanctions evasion controversies.

Visitors stand in front of works by Bybit on display during the 15th edition of Art Dubai at Madinat Jumeirah in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, on March 10, 2022. - Art Dubai, the Middle East's largest annual contemporary art fair, featured for the first time digital works, as the wealthy Gulf emirate seeks to position itself as a crypto-assets hub. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP)

UAE's crypto push seeks to draw in high-net-worth individuals

Sebastian Castelier

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business